Only in the News
by caramelo
Summary: Completed. Somebody brings a gun to school, and the world collapses. Written before With Tired Minds, Tired Eyes, Tired Souls.
1. My Young and Foolish One

**Only in the News**

_By: caramelo_

_I do not own _One Tree Hill_ or anything related to it_.

**Story notes and warnings: **_In_ _case you missed it in the summary, this is a fiction about a school shooting_._ This is a sensitive topic in which I obviously do not have a personal experience in, so if some parts seem unbelievable, I apologize. My knowledge simply comes from articles and books I have read, and I'm trying to remain as true to the characters as possible in writing their actions and reactions to what occurs in this story. There will be a **character death** in this story, a couple actually. One of them is a major character, and this will probably occur within the first few chapters. _

"It happened really fast," a tear-streaked blonde girl Nathan recognized from his chemistry class said to the news reporter. "I didn't even have a chance to catch my breath and realize what was going on before it was over." In the background, there were still people milling about, parents fretting over sons or daughters, or parents still looking for children that would never be found.

He clicked off the television, shaking his head. Maybe for some people it had gone by fast. Maybe for those people who had found an escape early, before most, if not all, of the exits had been blocked off. Maybe for those people who had been shot early, killed before they even had a chance to run.

But for Nathan, it hadn't been fast. Granted, some parts went by quicker than others, but for the most part it had been a long, slow, terrifying process. The day had felt as if it had been stretched into years, maybe longer. What came after years? Decades? It could have been a decade.

The morning had started out normal enough. Just like always, he awoke to the sound of his shrill alarm clock...

"Holy shit," Nathan groaned, flopping over on his side to turn off the damned clock. Not long ago, his mother would have come in to shake him awake. But now, he was on his own, just recently emancipated.

From somewhere beneath his bed, his cell phone began to ring. Nathan scowled and dropped to his hands and knees to search for it. The ring was long and annoying. He really needed to get a new ring tone. Finally he found it, stuffed in the pocket of his Varsity jacket.

"Hello?" he said grumpily.

A voice laughed on the other end. "Just your morning wake-up call in case you slept through your alarm clock again," the person said cheerfully.

Nathan's features softened. It was Haley. "Thanks, Hales," he said, his tone considerably lighter. "I think Mr. Jones would have killed me if I missed his class again."

"I know," Haley said. "I'm in your class, remember? Anyway, I think _I _would have killed you if you missed his class again. I need my lab partner."

"Like you have a problem getting a partner," Nathan scoffed. "I bet all the guys jump for the chance to be paired up with you."

"Oh, they do," Haley teased, "but you're my favorite one."

"Damn straight," Nathan said.

Haley hesitated and then added laughingly, "Besides, you're the only one who's so scared of me that you'll actually do most of the work."

"Hey!" Nathan protested. "I am not!"

"Really?" Haley challenged.

They both laughed simultaneously. "Well, I let you go," Haley said. "You probably haven't even gotten dressed yet."

"You like that idea, don't you?" Nathan smirked.

Haley laughed again. "Dream on. Anyway, we should seriously hang up. See ya, Nate."

"Love you, Hales."

"Love you too."

Nathan hung up the phone, a smile on his face. Then he glanced at the clock.

"Oh, shit!"

* * *

Peyton and Brooke were in similar disarray, having slept in late after an impromptu decision to have a sleepover.

"You seen my shoe, Peyton?" Brooke demanded, tearing through her overnight bag.

"Nope," Peyton said. She was digging through her drawers with a similar fervor. Abruptly, the flying clothes stopped as she pulled something out with a triumphant "Aha!"

Brooke stopped her search too. "My shoe?" she said hopefully.

"No," Peyton smirked. "My shirt."

Brooke scowled. She studied the shirt Peyton was holding disdainfully. Yet another concert t-shirt, with yet another name of a band Brooke had never heard of splashed across the center. This one was a lighter than usual, Brooke noted, colored in green and yellow instead of the usual black.

"You'd have been better off if that shirt had just stayed lost," Brooke muttered grumpily.

Peyton just grinned sweetly. She knew better than to take Brooke too seriously this early in the morning. Especially when she was missing her shoes, which, surprisingly, happened a lot. Brooke tended to kick off her shoes and just hang out barefoot in the most random places.

"Where do you remember seeing it last?" Peyton questioned.

"If I knew the answer to that, then I'd be walking around in both my shoes right now, wouldn't I?" Brooke retorted. "Don't ask stupid questions, P. Sawyer."

Peyton huffed, vaguely annoyed. "You want my help or not?" she demanded.

"Only if it doesn't involve pointless questions that waste valuable shoe-searching time," Brooke answered. She stuck out her tongue playfully.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "You're impossible," she grumbled but crawled over to help Brooke search for her missing shoe all the same.

Brooke smirked and tilted her head slightly. "You know you love me." Suddenly, something black poking out from underneath her bag caught her eye. She reached over and tugged it out. "Well, what do ya know?" she giggled. It was her shoe.

Peyton just shook her head at first, but Brooke's laugh was infectious. "You're such a flake," Peyton protested before succumbing to her own laughter as well.

* * *

Lucas sat down at the table inside his small kitchen, on time, for once.

"What a pleasant surprise," his mom joked when she noticed him. "You'll actually be able to eat breakfast while it's still warm.

Lucas grinned back, "You mean you don't just grab it out of the fridge everyday?"

"I might as well," Karen said, "By the time you get around to eating it, it's probably halfway frozen."

"More than halfway," Lucas grumbled. He brightened when the aroma of his mom's cooking reached him. He sniffed the air curiously. "What are you cooking anyway?"

"Blueberry pancakes and bacon," Karen said proudly.

"Just a regular meal, huh?" Lucas raised a brow questioningly. His mom had entered some sort of international phase where Lucas couldn't even recognize, or pronounce for that matter, the things she cooked. He hadn't had plain old American food in a while.

"With a Thai twist," she admitted.

Lucas winced jokingly. "In that case, I'll just grab a frozen waffle," he teased.

"Oh, you," Karen scolded. "You'll like it."

Lucas smiled and walked over to wrap his arms around his mother in a bear-hug. "I know I will. Thanks, Mom."

A soft smile worked its way across Karen's face. "More than welcome," she said. She gave the pancake one last flip before trying to shrug away from his grasp. "Now go sit down. Breakfast is ready."

* * *

Nathan just barely managed to skid into his classroom before the bell rang. He glanced over at Mr. Jones, who had a scowl written all over his face. Nathan smirked back. He had gotten there just in time; Mr. Jones wouldn't be able to write him up or anything.

Haley knocked him in the shoulder playfully as he slid in the seat beside her. "I almost started to think you wouldn't make it again."

"Like I'd miss a date with my favorite lab partner," he grinned.

"Such a charmer," Haley rolled her eyes.

"Always," Nathan said cockily.

It was pretty close to being a _moment _between them, but some kid that sat behind them interrupted by tapping Nathan on the shoulder. "Could I borrow a pencil?" he asked.

Nathan shrugged. "Sorry, man, I don't have an extra one."

The boy bristled as if Nathan had offended him somehow. "Fine," he said coldly. "That's just fine."

Nathan and Haley exchanged alarmed glances. What was _his _problem?

* * *

Lucas sat silently in his second period, hyper-aware of Peyton's presence beside him. He didn't know why he tortured himself like this. It was always Peyton or Brooke, Brooke or Peyton, and it _always _got him into trouble. Without fail. He always messed up when it came to those two.

He snuck another furtive glance over at her, this time less successful than the last. Peyton turned and looked straight at him before he could avert his eyes, and she looked fairly annoyed. "What the hell is your problem?" she mouthed before turning in her seat to resume taking notes from the board.

Lucas sighed and raked a hand through his hair. It was starting to look like he would never get back into good graces with either of the two friends. Not that he didn't deserve the ice treatment—he had screwed things up pretty bad between the three of them. He was just lucky, and glad, that Peyton and Brooke were patching things up between themselves. He hated being the cause of the break up of two close friends.

Unbidden, his eyes traveled over to Peyton's legs, stretching out endlessly from beneath her cheerleading skirt. Nobody had legs like Peyton. Not even Brooke, although hers came in close second. Hers just got more attention because she showed them off more. Peyton wasn't usually very showy when it came to her body.

A disgruntled tap of a pen brought Lucas to his senses. He looked up to see Peyton glaring murderously at him, having caught him for the second time. Guiltily, he shifted his gaze to the board.

If he kept this up, he was going to get himself killed.

* * *

Nathan walked out of his second period, looking forward to lunch very much indeed as his stomach rumbled mutinously. Besides the brief exchange with the angry pencil kid, his morning had gone pretty much without hitch, and it looked like he would have a pretty boring afternoon to look forward to. It seemed that nothing of any interest had happened lately to discuss, probably a first for Tree Hill.

He stopped at his locker to drop off his books and continued on to the lunchroom. He was almost there when Brooke ran into him head-on.

"Damn it!" she swore as all her books fell to the ground.

"Jesus Christ, I'm sorry," Nathan said. He bent down to help gather her books.

"You know these things right underneath your forehead?" Brooke demanded, hands on her hips, "They're called eyes. Sometimes people use them to watch where they're going."

Nathan cocked a brow as he stood up and handed her the textbooks. "Then maybe you should start," he smirked, ruffling her hair as he brushed past.

Unbidden, a small smile came to Brooke's face, and she scampered after him. "And here I thought you were just a whipped little puppy," she drawled. "Didn't know you still had those remarks in you, Nate."

Nathan shrugged and shifted the weight of his books from one arm to another. "Didn't know you became such an easy target," he teased.

Brooke winced mockingly. "Ouch. This little puppy has a bite to him."

"You wanna see what else I can bite?" Nathan waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Laughing, Brooke pushed him away. "Down, boy. Save those lines for your girlfriend."

"Trust me," a wry voice said behind them, "I wouldn't buy them either."

"Tutor girl!" Brooke squealed, and Nathan groaned.

"You flirting behind my back, Nate?" Haley asked sweetly.

"Never," Nathan claimed and enveloped her in a hug.

"Yeah," Brooke smirked. "If anything, he tries to make girls like him less by using those lines. You should feel pretty secure about your relationship right now."

"Oh, I do," Haley said seriously, giving Nathan a peck on the lips before breaking away from his grasp. "This puppy wouldn't dare cheat on me."

"What is it with the puppy thing?" Nathan protested. "It's not like I do everything you say."

"Kiss," Haley demanded.

Nathan paused. "Except that," he admitted with a laugh, leaning over to give her another peck.

"So you want to eat lunch with us, Brooke?" Haley offered as they entered the cafeteria.

"Would, but can't," Brooke said. "We're working out a new routine for tonight's game," she explained, waving vaguely over at a table of giggling cheerleaders. They looked over at the table and laughed. Peyton was in the midst of all the gossiping cheerleaders, looking very mutinous indeed.

"I better go before Peyton starts throwing things," Brooke joked. "Bevin's hair still hasn't lost all the green in it from the Jell-O last time."

Nathan and Haley nodded and smiled as Brooke hurried off to the table, immediately making herself the center of attention. Haley shook her head. "She's crazy."

"I can be pretty crazy too in certain places," Nathan murmured in her ear.

"What is it with you?" Haley giggled as she swatted him away. "You've got a one-track mind."

"Must be the vitamins," Nathan whispered. "I remember to take _all_ of them today."

Haley rolled her eyes. "You're a bad influence."

"Pretty soon, I'll have you skipping school," Nathan teased, "I know how to sneak out of anywhere."

"Too bad that kid's blocking the doorway," Haley said dryly.

Nathan glanced at the exit with a disinterested expression, noting the guy Haley was talking about. Some kid from his Algebra class, a really smart, snotty kid who always knew all the answers. He kind of kept to himself.

_Obviously_, Nathan thought. _I mean, the kid's eating lunch standing in front of a door for Christ's sake. You think he'd at least try to make a few friends._

The guy's eyes kept darting around suspiciously as if he was wary of everybody. Nathan shook his head. Some people were just too strange.

"Come on, let's go get lunch," Haley tugged on his arm, snapping away Nathan's attention from the weird kid. "I hear they replaced Fried Fridays with something else. Apparently, too many parents were complaining about all the grease stains."

"Good," Nathan grumbled. "You know how hard it is to play basketball after eating that chicken? Talk about sick. Those things make you feel so gassy."

Haley made a face. "Thanks for sharing."

Nathan shrugged. "Just thought I'd let you know."

They began walking, considerably less eager to the lunch line. "I think I've lost all will to eat..." Haley broke off mid-whine, when a girl's scream interrupted her.

"Gun!"

"_What_?" Haley and Nathan spun around, shocked to see the kid from the doorway, pulling the trigger, facing directly towards them.

The shot went off before they even had a chance to duck. Luckily, the shot was wide, a little to the left. It left a bullet hole right through somebody's soda.

"Run!" Nathan yelled. He tugged Haley hard along behind him, a death grip on her hand. It was practically a stampede out to the cafeteria as gunshots rang behind them.

* * *

Lucas struggled to regain his bearings in all the confusion. He was sitting near the back of the cafeteria, making him an easy target for the gunman running behind them. _Gotta get ahead_, he thought, _I have to run faster._

Easy to say, not so easy to do. Even if he could have pushed his legs any faster, a wall of people blocked his way. When Lucas finally saw an opening between two of them, he jumped on it, skirting around fellow classmates to put more distance between himself and his classmates. He was almost to the front when a panting voice beside him distracted him.

"Should've took those wind sprints Coach made us do more seriously," Tim gasped.

Lucas nodded. He couldn't waste his energy speaking. He was about to tell Tim to do the same, when the gun went off again. Lucas paused, shocked.

He and Tim had never been good friends, but that didn't mean Lucas wasn't horrified as he saw the bullet blast through the back of Tim's head. Lucas watched as for one surreal second, Tim just stopped, mid-stride, eyes open wide, before he fell. He was dead before he hit the ground.

A tear slid down Lucas's cheek before he resumed running again. He had just whispered a quick prayer when he noticed Nathan and Haley not far ahead of him. He hurried to catch up.

* * *

"Oh my God," Haley shrieked. "Tim!"

Nathan felt his blood run cold as he glanced over to the spot where Haley's eyes were transfixed.

It was Tim, all right. His best friend Tim, kind of lame but a good guy all the same, lying on the ground motionlessly. A bullet had been shot straight through the back of his head. Nathan moved to go over to him, to do...well, he wasn't sure. Anything. His friend was in trouble...

A strong hand clasped itself around Nathan's wrist and dragged him away before he could protest. Nathan's gaze shot up to see Lucas and Haley, side by side a few paces ahead of him, dragging him along. "Tim," he said blankly.

Lucas shook his head. His eyes looked pained. "There's nothing you can do for him, man. You'll only get yourself killed too."

His words were blunt, but they brought Nathan back to reality. The basic human instinct of survival overtook him. Tim was dead, and as much as Nathan wanted to go back to him, he couldn't. He had to worry about other people now. There would be time for remorse later. If he got out alive.

* * *

Peyton and Brooke and the rest of the cheerleaders led the throng of students racing through the hallways. They had had the good fortune to be sitting at the table next to the door. Brooke stuck next the Peyton like glue as they navigated the hallways, heading for the front door. 

"I have a bad feeling about this, Peyton," Brooke said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Peyton asked.

"Running right to the front door...it just seems too easy," Brooke said.

Peyton shook her head. "You watch too many movies, Brooke. How many people do you actually think would be involved in this anyway?"

"It's too easy," Brooke insisted. She stopped running abruptly, latching her hand around Peyton's wrist. "I don't like it."

"What do you think you're doing, Brooke?" Peyton raged as Brooke pulled them to a side hallway. "We have to get out of here!"

They were just around the corner from the front door...

Brooke put her index finger to her lips to shush her friend. Maybe she was being stubborn and irrational, which wasn't a new concept for her, but she genuinely feared what may await them if they continued on towards the front door. She was the type of person that believed strongly in karma, and feelings and all that, and despite how much it annoyed her friends, she rarely listened to anything but her own intuition. Even if it often led her to trouble.

Peyton was about to insist that they stop being so silly and join the people who had probably reached the safety of the outdoors when a group of collective screams and gunshots met her ears. She bit her lip and looked down at Brooke, horror-struck. The screams were coming from just around the corner, right where the front door would be.

Brooke's eyes darkened, and she turned away, facing the expanse of the hall before them. "Come on, we have to find somewhere to hide."

**Author's Note: **Well, that's it for chapter one. Look out for chapter two, which should be coming out pretty soon since I'm over halfway done writing it. Please tell me what you think in a review!


	2. Every Hour of the Day

**Only in the News**

_By: caramelo_

_I do not own _One Tree Hill _or anything related to it._

**Chapter Two: Every Hour of the Day**

The mob of students ran towards the front entrance when the people up front suddenly began to scream, louder than before. It was utter confusion as people began turning away, looking for someplace else to run. Two more people with guns blocked the front door. Nathan, Lucas, and Haley ran down a side hallway.

"What are we supposed to do?" Haley panted. They must have run down hallways and side hallways for at least twenty minutes now. The ring of gunshots seemed to echo all around them, along with the screams and cries of their fellow students. The gunmen seemed to have been effective in blocking off all four available exits.

Nathan's eyes kept darting around, panicked, but Lucas relatively kept a rational mind. "In the classroom," he said. "There's a storage closet in there that connects to the classroom beside it. If we hear somebody coming in one door, we can just go out the other."

Haley nodded, but she couldn't help but argue against his logic mentally. What if one person came through one door, and another came through the other door? They'd be trapped like rats. Then again, the chances of that happening were pretty slim. "Good idea," she finally said. "Come on, Nathan."

They crept in the classroom quietly, and Nathan inwardly cursed the fact that the keys to lock the room were only available to the teachers as he shut the door behind him. Hastily, they scrambled into the storage closet and pressed tightly into the back corner, just in case.

This was probably the longest part of the day. The waiting in the dark, the not-knowing, hearing screams and pleas and guns all around but having no idea where those sounds were coming from. It was complete torture.

"Please, no," they could hear the faint plea of a girl somewhere to their left. "I'll do anything. Please…"

"Get off me," a rough voice growled. Nathan was positive he recognized it from somewhere.

"I don't want to die," the girl begged. "Please, don't kill me."

Nathan could feel Haley shaking against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight, wishing there were some way he could block the sounds from reaching her ears. This was too much for her—for all of them—to hear.

"I said, get off!" the other voice roared. "Now!"

Nathan wasn't even surprised when the gun went off. He had almost expected it to come.

"This is sick," Lucas whispered. "I can't just sit here and listen to this."

"You have to," Nathan said firmly. His eyes shot down meaningfully towards Haley. If Lucas tried to go out and start saving people, she would inevitably follow him, risking her life in the process. Nathan knew he wouldn't be able to stomach the idea.

Lucas got Nathan's meaning, but he couldn't help but protest. "I just feel so guilty," he said, "in here while so many people we know are dying out there."

"It's not like we're not in danger either," Nathan reasoned. "Besides, how are we supposed to help them? We'll just get shot too. It's not like we have superpowers."

"You're right," Lucas sighed.

Haley saw his defeated resignation and wriggled out of Nathan's grasp to sidle up next to him. "You may not be a superhero, Luke, but you're a good person. Just because you can't fly out there and save everybody does not make you a bad guy."

"I know, Hales," Luke sighed. "But it's still hard."

Haley nodded and nuzzled against his shoulder. "Nothing about this is easy," she said. "You just gotta concentrate on keeping yourself and the people you care about alive. Are all the people you care about alive, Luke?"

Lucas shut his eyes, pained. He tried to stop the flood of images of all the people that he knew, either dead or trapped in some hiding place like he was now. Brooke and Peyton seemed to stick rather incessantly at the top of the stack. "I don't know."

Haley looked at him sadly and gave him one last squeeze before letting go and returning to Nathan.

-----

Brooke and Peyton were having much more problems finding a place to hide.

For the time being, they had settled for squeezing together inside a girls' bathroom stall. It was a tight fit, as they had to share the space on a covered toilet seat, legs drawn up to give the illusion that nobody was there, but as far as they were concerned, it was better than the alternative: shivering alone in their own stalls.

"This is no good, Peyton," Brooke whispered. "As soon as they walk in they'll be able to find us."

"I know," Peyton said, "but where else is there?"

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we could find a classroom and break through a window?"

Peyton shook her head. "It'll make too much noise if we don't manage to get through on our first try. They'll be all over us." She pulled on her own curls, frustrated and frightened.

"What about a janitor's closet?" Brooke suggested.

"Too obvious," Peyton said. "Besides, I think most of them are already pretty packed."

Brooke frowned and fell deep into thought, trying not to pay attention to the large space between the door of the stall and the floor. Why did they make the doors like that anyway? Anybody could just get on the floor and crawl in while you were trying to take a pee. More importantly, anybody with a gun could just peek his head in and murder you easily.

_Don't think about that,_ Brooke told herself. _Stop picturing some guy just slowly sliding himself in and… _Brooke shook her head, hard. Peyton glanced back at her, concerned.

"I'm fine," Brooke assured her hurriedly.

Peyton nodded, but she wasn't convinced. Brooke wasn't fine. Nobody was fine. Nobody would ever be fine after this. It was impossible to come out from something like this and be _fine_.

Peyton rarely prayed. It just wasn't something she did, especially since her mom died. But here, huddling with Brooke, terrified and shaking inside a small bathroom stall, Peyton closed her eyes hoped to God her confused, disconnected thoughts and pleas could make it off the ground.

_It's been awhile since I've done this, _she thought, feeling oddly apologetic as if she were saying these words aloud, to a real person, _I might have forgotten how. But I'm here, and I'm trying, and I really hope you can hear me, God…Mom…anyone._

Brooke peered over at her friend and quirked a brow. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Peyton was…but no, Peyton didn't do that. She was almost as cynical about religion as Brooke was. She was probably just thinking, thinking of a way to get out. Of course. Brooke was sorry she hadn't been putting as much thought in an escape plan too. She should start. Right away.

It wasn't often Brooke concentrated so hard on something, but when she did, she always came up with something killer. After a few beats of silence, she opened her mouth to say something, when all of the sudden, the door to the bathroom opened.

-----

Nathan, Haley, and Lucas remained in the corner of the closet, pressed up against each other, for quite a while. "Do you think it'd be okay if we loosened up a little?" Haley pleaded. "It's sort of hard to breathe."

They each took a step back instinctively, letting loose a sigh of relief. "That was so uncomfortable," Lucas said.

"No kidding," Nathan agreed. "No offense, man, we're brothers and everything, but I never want to get that close and personal with you again."

"We'll be the kind of brothers whose only means of contact is a high five during games," Lucas joked. "And even then, only when we win at the last second or hit a shot from half-court or something."

The three laughed despite themselves. It was a welcome relief from the horrors that lurked outside the classroom.

_Makes you feel kind of guilty_, Lucas reflected as he looked around at the weakly smiling faces of his friends. _What kind of person laughs at a time like this?_

But the truth was, for them, the laughter couldn't have come at a better time. It would've only been a matter of time before one of them snapped from the heavy intensity of all that had happened.

Gradually, their laughter died down, leaving a considerably less tense silence behind. Haley gave one more chuckle and took a relaxing breath. "I think I needed that," she said.

"I think we all did," Lucas agreed. "But it felt wrong, you know?"

Haley looked to the ground. "So many people out there…"

Slinging an arm around Haley's shoulders, Nathan tried to comfort her. "Don't feel guilty, Hales. Today's been hell. Something had to give."

Uncertainly, Haley nodded. "I guess."

Before Nathan could persist, an ominous creak echoed somewhere in the near vicinity, cutting off all conversation entirely. It was a number of terror-filled seconds before Lucas dared to whisper. "It's probably just the foundation. My house makes those noises all the time."

"I don't know," Nathan whispered back. "I don't think I've ever heard the school settle before. Is it really safe to be talking?"

"Probably not," Lucas admitted.

They spent the next twenty or so minutes in complete silence, their ears straining to catch any semblance to what may be danger for them. Unintentionally, their minds began to wander.

Nathan looked over at Haley. Her gaze seemed far off, and her body rigid with fear. He tore his gaze away. He wanted to take her into his arms and tell her that everything was okay and that they would be okay. But how could he? They could still hear screams all around, and every time any slight noise was made around them, they'd wince. There was nothing okay about the situation they were in. No bright side to any of it.

Haley could feel Nathan's stare on her but chose not to reciprocate. He could always see right through her, and she hated looking scared and weak in front of him. But that was exactly how she felt—scared and weak.

_Too young, _Haley thought, _I haven't lived enough yet. Why did I hold myself back? I want to scream, I want to sing, but most of all, I wanna kiss Nathan and tell him how much I love him. I want to tell Lucas how great he is, and he'll have it all figured out someday with Peyton and Brooke. Peyton and Brooke…Peyton needs to let everything out. I need to tell her that. And I need to tell Brooke how sorry I am about the party. I would've invited her. I wanted to. It was just bad timing. Everything has such bad timing. _Haley looked around the room. _If…no, _she reprimanded herself firmly, when _I get out of here alive, I'll make sure I have a good, long talk with everybody. _

Haley glanced up, and her gaze happened to fall upon Lucas, who was carefully keeping any sign of emotion blank as he stood in the corner of the closet.

Lucas had pressed his ear firmly to the wall when he felt somebody sidle up to him.

"Is this really helping any?" Haley whispered.

"Not right now," Lucas replied. "But if somebody comes, we'll know to get out."

Haley sighed. She hesitated before speaking again. "I know it's really wrong," she said, "but I sort of liked it when we were laughing earlier. It took my mind off everything for a second. That sounds horrible, doesn't it?"

Lucas wrapped an arm around Haley and pulled her in close. "Not at all," he reassured her. If he hadn't been whispering right into her ear, Haley wasn't sure if she would have ever heard the next part. "I liked it too, buddy."

Haley's eyes watered as she sent him an appreciative, if not fully convinced expression. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh, Luke," she whispered tearfully. "Why is this happening?"

Lucas brushed his lips against the top of her head. "I don't know," he answered, wishing he had a better one.

They stayed like that for a while before Nathan came to join them. He had watched the entire exchange silently, trying to ignore the pull on his heart. Those two were as sappy as only best friends could be, and Nathan knew he'd never share that type of bond with Haley.

But as he studied the two, he knew he'd never want to come between what they had and replace Lucas. They had fought in the past, yes, but things were getting better between them now. He was really beginning to respect Lucas, especially after today.

"Just wanted to thank you, man," Nathan whispered as he walked towards them and snaked an arm around Haley's waist. It felt good when she leaned back against him. "For, you know, everything today." The image of Lucas pulling Nathan along in the cafeteria after Tim's murder surfaced before his eyes.

Lucas understood right away. "Hey, you'd do the same for me."

He meant it too.

Nathan nodded.

Their brotherly moment, however, was cut too short when they heard footsteps coming towards the classroom.

-----

Peyton and Brooke froze. As the person shut the door behind them, Brooke's breathing became more and more ragged, until Peyton, who looked like she was on the verge of fainting herself, covered Brooke's mouth with her hand. Brooke grabbed Peyton's other hand and held onto it tight.

"Is anybody in here?" a timid voice asked in a whisper. "Anybody at all?"

Brooke relaxed instantly, slumping against the wall of the bathroom stall. Peyton, seeing her friend's reaction, dropped her hand from Brooke's mouth. Her eyes searched Brooke's questioningly.

"Bevin," Brooke whispered with a sigh of relief.

"Brooke?" the girl asked. "Brooke, is that you?"

"Yeah, Bev," Brooke whispered, unlocking the stall door to reveal herself and Peyton. "It's just me and Goldilocks in here."

Bevin launched herself at Brooke and threw her arms around the squad captain's neck tightly. "Oh, Brooke!" she squealed softly. "I was hoping I'd find you."

Brooke gave Bevin a quick hug before immediately pulling away. "Not that I'm not glad to see you," she explained, her eyes darting about, "but what are you doing? It's dangerous to be out here like this."

"Like it wasn't just as dangerous in there," Bevin pointed out. Brooke shrugged noncommittally, and Bevin rolled her eyes before continuing. Her eyes sparkled with oddly enough, joy. "Oh, Brooke, there's a way out," Bevin said, close to laughing from giddiness. "We've been watching forever now, and they've finally left the back door. We can get out of here, Brooke. We can get out of this hell."

-----

Nathan, Lucas and Haley all tensed and strained their ears to listen. The steps were heavy and fast, and the sound of them pounding on the floor reverberated in Nathan's mind. A shot went off, just outside the classroom, and then a thud. The feet remained silent for a few moments before thudding along again. For one brief, tense, second, it sounded as if the footsteps were headed for the classroom, but the three let out a collective breath as the person seemed to change his mind and thudded on by.

"Too close," Nathan murmured against the top of Haley's head.

"Way too close," Lucas agreed.

"We have to get out of here," Nathan said, "Next time they might not decide to just walk by. Eventually, somebody will find us. We have to get out of this school."

"No," Haley argued. "They blocked the exits, remember?"

"There can't be that many people involved with this, Hales," Lucas reasoned. "Chances are, one or two of them left their doors and are just wandering around and killing the people they find. We're not going to be one of those people."

"I don't like the idea," Haley insisted. "It seems too dangerous."

"And you call this safe?" Nathan questioned dubiously. His tone softened, and he tugged on a lock of her hair affectionately. "Don't worry, Hales. I'm looking out for you, okay?"

"And what about yourself, Prince Charming?" Haley retorted. "I don't want anything to happen to you." She glanced at Lucas. "Either of you."

"We all have each other's backs, Haley," Lucas reassured her. "I'll personally make sure that every one of us makes it out of here."

Haley's expression wavered, and Nathan knew she had caved. She threw her arms around Lucas, sniffling back tears. "Thanks, Luke," she said, overwhelmed. "You're the best."

Lucas rubbed her back, smiling softly. "Anything for you, buddy."

Reluctantly, Haley pulled away, but in a split second, she was now clinging on to Nathan. "I'm so lucky to have you looking out for me too," she said. She released her grip on him and gazed into his eyes seriously. "You have no idea how much it means to me. I love you, Nathan."

Nathan held back a few of his own tears. "I love you too, Haley." He grabbed her hand, squeezing tighter than usual, and nodded at Lucas. "So you really got my back, bro?"

"Of course," Lucas gave a small smile. "What about you, bro?"

"You bet."

The trio crept out of the storage closet, every sense heightened tensely, and made sure everything was clear before venturing out into the hallway. They could hear gunshots somewhere to the right of them. The body of a fellow teammate on the basketball team lay slumped against the wall, and Nathan and Lucas did their best to avoid looking at him.

"Jesus," Nathan swore softly.

"Let's go this way, shall we?" Lucas led them in the opposite direction. They were headed towards the back exit, which was hopefully abandoned.

-----

After a few good minutes of coaxing Peyton, the two cheerleaders and the reluctant blonde all stepped out into the hallway. "You're sure this is safe?" Peyton demanded yet again.

"Positive, for like, the seventeenth time," Bevin said, close to exasperation. She was known for a short temper and would have snapped long before then if she wasn't so certain of an escape route to safety.

"So explain what happened again, Bev," Brooke requested to soothe Peyton's obviously frayed nerves. "How do we know that everything is clear?"

Bevin blew out a frustrated breath which propelled some of her blonde strands of hair upwards. "A few," Bevin's eyes darkened, and she swallowed hard before beginning again, "A few of the cheerleaders and basketball players managed to avoid, well, you know. We found this janitor's closet that some people were in already, but they let us come in because, well, they just did. It was really nice of them." Bevin paused, a soft smile spreading across her face. "Really nice of them," she repeated. She shook her head and the smile disappeared behind the haughty expression she always wore.

"Anyway," she continued, "we were all hiding out in there for a while all cramped up and scared when we decided that we should send out like scouts or something like that to check the doors to see if they were still guarded. We based it on who was the fastest and quietest and all that. Jake was one of those people, and he was gone for an awful long time, and we almost thought that he'd been…but anyway, we were wrong, and he came back and told us about the back door."

"So where are we going now?" Peyton asked when they went straight ahead instead of making a left towards the supposed exit.

"To meet up in the janitor's closet," Bevin answered. "We decided to find as many people as we could before leaving."

"That was nice of you," Peyton said sincerely. She and Bevin had never really gotten along, just a few years ago Bevin had tried to take Peyton's place as Brooke's best friend which hadn't gone over very well, but what Bevin was doing, risking her life, it took guts. Peyton was surprised, in a good way.

"Thanks," Bevin smiled back.

They slipped around the last corner stealthily, and Bevin did some sort of complicated knock on the door of the closet, gaining them admission.

"Thank God, Bevin," Jake said as he ushered her in. "You're the last one. We were getting worried." He caught sight of Peyton and Brooke, and a smile crept across his face. "I'm glad to see you guys. You have no idea how much."

Peyton threw her arms around Jake. For some reason, even after everything she had seen today, Jake's words moved her the closest towards actual tears. "Good to see you too, Jake," she whispered in a choked voice. Just as quickly as she had, she released him and hurried inside the closet, embarrassed and wiping away stray tears before they could fall.

"Brooke," Jake said affectionately as she paused in front of him too.

"Jagelski," Brooke said, reaching up to brush a clump of dust of his shirt. "You didn't honestly think you had to worry about us, did you?"

"Of course not," Jake reassured her, even though both of them knew he was lying. "I knew you guys would be okay. You can take care of yourselves."

Brooke nodded, appeased, and disappeared inside the closet as well.

**Author's Note: **Well, that's it for chapter two! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all the encouraging reviews before. I actually had this chapter done a week ago, but there was some stuff that didn't sound right or fit in and I've been really busy with research papers, and it's just been crazy. I'll try to be better with the next chapter…but those of you who've read my other story (which is close to being updated) know how I am about that.

_Responses…_

**Innoccent Devil, Queen of Elven City, flame31, xxxkattxtienxxx, OTHlover04, Smallville's Chick 1989, charli, dead beat heart, cheergirlie1, flephanie: **Thanks! You guys are great! I'm glad you liked it so much.

**Angelica: **Thanks and sent.

**Meg: **There may be one…or two…more deaths. Maybe.

**l-a-c-18: **Yes, she did. Brooke happens to be my favorite character, but I'm trying my best not to explicitly favor her in this story. Thanks for the review!

**LucasnHaley: **I _adore_ Lucas and Haley as friends. I'm doing my best to incorporate their friendship into this story. I'm actually trying to work with all the friendships. But I did add a little extra scene in this chapter for Lucas and Hales with your request in mind. I hope I'm doing a good job with it…I've never really messed around with writing them before. Let me know!

**Hanna: **I'm flattered. Seriously. And yes, I do tend to lean to that coupling, but nothing has been decided yet. I hope you like this chapter!

**Somnambulist29: **Wow. I seriously don't believe there's an author anywhere that doesn't like to hear that their story made someone think. It's like one of the greatest compliments I've ever had.

**LucasnBlondie03: **Yes, Tim's death is sad. He's another one of my favorites but unfortunately, I needed that for the storyline.

**Princessbm: **Thanks, I'm glad to hear I'm doing this storyline justice. And I know what you mean…I _hate _it when my favorite characters die, and they _always _do. I seriously could make a list that's at least a page of characters that I like from books or movies or tv shows that end up dead or gone by the end. In The Patriot, I had to pick three different people to like throughout the course of the movie because they all died. I hope I don't mess with your characters!

**IntentionallyCruel: **Thanks for the review! So you got Tim…Can you guess the other(s)?

**SeriousFan: **Intuition is _very _important to the characters in the story.

**Agel15: **I'm glad you thought it was good. I actually like Tim, but I needed him to die. And yeah, there will probably be _at least _one more death.

**Friendsfan: **My first review! Thanks a bunch! : ) to you too!


	3. The Fear That Came Between Them

**Only in the News**

_By: caramelo_

_I do not own _One Tree Hill _or anything related to it._

**Chapter Three: **The Fear That Came Between Them

It was hard to stay so silent creeping through the hallways, which were so eerily empty compared to the usual chaos of a school day. Nathan had to clamp his hand over Haley's mouth a few times as she gasped at the slightest creak or click.

Nobody could blame her for being so jumpy. As soon as they had stepped out of the classroom, they had been met with a horrifying image.

"Mouth," Lucas whispered. It was toneless, and when Haley looked at Lucas's face, she could see it lacked any means of expression as well. The girl who must have been begging earlier, a cheerleader, lay not far away either, one that Haley had never seen before.

But Nathan had. She could see it written all over his face.

"Who is she?" Haley asked, wrapping an arm around his waist supportively.

Nathan shook his head. "I used to date her."

All three of them knew they had no time to stay and mourn for their friends, however, and were forced to turn their backs. Just before they turned a corner, Haley glanced back one last time. Her eyes caught in the lifeless gaze of a girl that had once meant something to Nathan, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She considerably tightened her hold on her boyfriend as they rounded the corner, out of sight.

-----

"We should probably send out another person, one more time," Bevin said as the group crowded around the closet door. The heated, anxious gazes of two other cheerleaders, three basketball players, and three other students that Brooke and Peyton weren't well acquainted with, met her own. Bevin wasn't intimidated though.

_She never was_, Brooke thought admiringly, _not even by me_. Aside from Peyton, she was the only one who refused to put up Brooke's shit on the squad.

True to form, Bevin didn't back down. "I want to know for sure that it's clear. It has to be safe if we're all going out there."

"If we wait too long, then it definitely won't be clear anymore," a basketball player protested.

Bevin shot him an icy stare. "We can check one more time."

"I'll go," Jake volunteered suddenly, if only to put a stop to all the useless bickering. Brooke and Peyton turned to look at him, concerned.

Jake smiled at them tightly. "No big deal. I've done it already. I know what to do."

Peyton took a tentative step towards him. Jake noticed her attempts and met her halfway. She searched his eyes, her own filling with tears. "Be safe," she whispered, averting her gaze to the ground.

"Hey," Jake whispered back gently, taking her hands in his. "I'll be fine.

Peyton took a deep breath to calm herself down. It had little effect. "Promise me," she requested shakily.

"I promise," Jake answered, his voice soothing. He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead before releasing her hands and stepping away. "You'll barely notice I'm gone."

Brooke watched the exchange between them and felt something inside her breaking. She just hoped it wasn't her heart. As Jake walked passed her, she whispered, so soft she doubted he could even hear her.

"Come back to us, Jake."

The only slight indication that he even sensed her presence was an almost imperceptible pause at her words. Brooke wouldn't have been surprised if she had simply imagined it.

Bevin, who had had her ear pressed to the door the entire time to ensure Jake a safe exit, opened it quietly for him as he came. They had a brief, murmured conversation before Jake slipped away from her and out the door. Brooke could tell Peyton wasn't the only biting back tears anymore.

-----

Nathan, Lucas, and Haley's course had gone suspiciously unblocked as they weaved through the hallways towards the back door. _What luck_, Haley thought, somewhat unenthusiastically. She had long grown used to the sounds of the school settling and had since instinctively blocked them out. Whileshe, Nathan, and Lucas wereallgrateful for the fact that they weren't being shot at, the truth was, that the utter lack of commotion or even some sort of real noise, no matter how small, was disconcerting now. It put them all on the edge.

A desk sat in the hallway, a teacher no doubt had sent one of her unruly students out there earlier that day, and somehow, Haley's legs managed to get entangled with it. "Shoot!" she yelped softly as she felt herself falling. No doubt this would end in a gigantic clatter when she inevitably collided with the desk.

They couldn't afford to have any sort of gigantic clatter. A gigantic clatter could possibly cost them their lives.

Luckily, just before Haley made contact with the desk, she felt two sets of hands reach up and haul her to her feet. "Jesus, Hales, are you okay?" Nathan demanded.

Haley nodded while her cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame. The only saving grace out of all this was that she hadn't stirred up too much of a commotion. Thanks to Nathan and Lucas, of course. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She nestled against Nathan's chest.

He ran a hand through her hair soothingly. "Nothing to be sorry about."

"If you say so," Haley replied. She squeezed him tight one more time before pulling away. "At any rate, we should keep going."

Nathan nodded, and they set on their way. However, it was only a few steps when Haley noticed that Lucas wasn't following them. She looked back to see her best friend frozen in place, staring blankly ahead of them. An odd, unreadable look spread across his features.

Haley felt an odd sense of foreboding. "What is it, Luke?" she whispered.

Lucas seemed to snap back to his senses. Now, Haley could read his face clearly. _Terror_. "Footsteps," he hissed, grabbing at both of them. "They must have heard us!"

It was a wonder she hadn't heard them before, Haley reflected vaguely. They were so loud and threatening, and they were getting closer by the second. Before she had a chance to panic, Lucas had dragged her into the classroom beside the desk she had tripped over. Holding onto her hand tightly, he lunged and sent both of them sprawling behind the teacher's desk.

But Nathan, Nathan with all his seasoned basketball reflexes, hadn't reacted in time.

Haley could only watch as she saw Nathan freeze in the middle of the hallway, eyes wide with desperation and fear. The footsteps that had been pounding towards them suddenly stopped. When Haley heard the gun go off, it felt like everything around her had been shattered. She couldn't manage to tear her eyes away as Nathan twirled in some odd half-spin from the force of the impact and crashed down against that wretched desk.

When he finally hit the floor, he was facedown, completely motionless.

-----

Waiting for Jake was going to drive Peyton insane. She tapped her fingers and walked in circles. She attempted to count the grooves in the ceiling, but the poor lighting made her dizzy and lose her place. So she resumed pacing in her small area again, occasionally brushing against other occupants of the crowded closet.

_Could be worse_, Peyton mused absentmindedly, _this thing is bigger than a bathroom stall. _

It was way bigger than her closet at home too. Peyton imagined what it would be like to have closet space in her bedroom like this. She smiled half-heartedly. _Even Brooke would be jealous. _Peyton let her mind wander on from there, somewhat intentionally, trying to get her mind off the topic that worried her to no end.

_Jake_.

"Jesus, Peyton," Brooke hissed abruptly.

Peyton flinched and glanced up guiltily as if she thought Brooke knew what she had been thinking about. Sometimes, it seemed like she did. Brooke had the uncanny ability to voice Peyton's thoughts before even she herself could.

"What?" Peyton asked.

"Stop the pacing, will you?" Brooke snapped back, "You're making everybody crazy."

Peyton glanced at the other occupants of the room. Most hadn't even noticed Brooke's explosion. They were too busy staring off into space, no doubt strained and grieving.

Brooke didn't seem to notice, her eyes still hard and filled with annoyance.

But as Peyton glanced her friend over, she saw something else. Brooke was stressed beyond belief, but, unlike the others, she had no clue how to shut herself down. It just wasn't something she did. Peyton sympathized with her harassed friend but had no idea what she could to help. They stared at each other for a few more silent seconds when Peyton broke the connection.

"Yeah, sorry," she muttered, casting her eyes down.

Peyton could feel Brooke's gaze still on her for a moment after. However, the unkindness was gone as Brooke's eyes turned sad, and unless Peyton was mistaken, defeated.

Peyton knew that she was only seconds away from tears.

_We didn't deserve this._

She pictured Jake again, cradling Jenny in his arms.

Then she pictured Jake lying helplessly in the hall, caught by a gun. Jenny would have to grow up without a father. She'd probably have to go into the social system, and everyone knew how awful that would be. She'd have no memories of a father who loved her very, very much.

Peyton pushed away the awful images, clearing her mind the best she could. Mentally, she repeated over and over that Jake would be all right, that he would be back in the closet with them soon. She wanted to believe he was safe and capable of remaining unseen, but it was so _hard_.

_He has to come out of this alive_, Peyton reassured herself, _Jenny needs him._

She choked back a harsh combination of a laugh and a sob, sending more than a few nervous stares in her direction. For once, she didn't care.

_Hell, _I _need him._

_-----_

If Lucas hadn't clamped his hand over Haley's mouth just before she screamed, they would have all been shot within a matter of seconds. Luckily, the sound was muffled enough that the gunman couldn't hear it down the hall.

Haley knew she was being irrational as she struggled and shook in Lucas's grasp, but she just _had _to get to Nathan.She couldn't lose him. Not now.

_Not ever_, Haley thought as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Nathan's prone form, just hoping, praying, that…

_Damn it, Nathan, move, _she commanded silently. _Flinch, breathe, do _something. _Please._

Nathan didn't budge. Haley felt her heart plummeting.

Dimly, Haley's mind registered the sound of footsteps walking quickly towards them. She heard, and felt, Lucas's breath hitch beside her. Haley was sure she had stopped breathing as well. That may have had to do something with the fact that Lucas's grip on her had gradually tightened until it was bone-crushing.

The footsteps were quick and small, almost as if the person were darting around. But there was something wrong. Some of the steps overlapped or were less than a second in between.

_There are two of them_, Haley realized with horror.

One person with a gun was a frightening enough concept, but two? Haley shivered. She and Lucas were as good as dead. She burrowed herself against Lucas, who, in turn, wrapped himself around her. The words were unspoken, but it didn't matter. They knew what they were preparing themselves for.

"Good shot," Haley heard a voice rasp just outside the door.

"He made it too easy," another voice answered back smugly. "Just standing there like a stupid deer. You'd think Mr. Big Shot could've put up a better fight."

Haley felt a burning anger rise within her. How could they talk about Nathan like that? _Her Nathan_. How could they? When she heard Lucas's soft grunt beside her, she knew she wasn't the only one upset.

Unfortunately, she also wasn't the only one who heard Lucas's noises of indignation.

"What's that?" one of the gunman snapped, glancing at the inside of the classroom. He turned to his friend. "Did you hear it?"

The other boy seemed annoyed. "Hear what?" he huffed.

"Noise," said the first one, "just inside that classroom."

"That's what you said about the last classroom," said the second, "and the one before that, and like five more before that."

"I'm serious!" the first insisted.

"Fine," sighed the other. "Let's take a look."

Haley sucked in her breath and held it as they stepped through the doorway. Lucas buried his face in her hair. She felt like crying and giving up, but she didn't want to die. Not now. She grasped Lucas's arm considerably tighter.

"Nothing here," the second one called, peering inside the closet.

"Here either," the first said as he checked behind the door.

"Let's just get out of this room, man," the second reasoned. "There's obviously nobody here."

Haley was ready to let out a sigh of relief when she realized the first one was walking towards their desk. She froze completely with horror.

"Just one more place," he said to his friend.

"Whatever," the other shrugged.

There was a dull roaring in Haley's ears as he approached. _Closer…closer…_It was agonizing to see those expensive brown boots marching towards her. It was almost as if the person had dressed nice on purpose that day, Haley thought when she noticed the sharply pressed khakis as well. Dressed nice to commemorate a special occasion…

Haley felt sick to her stomach. Her world was spinning, people were dying, Nathan had just been _shot_, and she was here, seconds away from death.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Oh, God. Why couldn't it all just _stop_?

Haley got her wish when, very suddenly, everything went black.

-----

Brooke watched the door like a hawk, wondering why others weren't doing the same. Weren't they in the least bit frightened? Terrified, even?

She herself was paralyzed with fear.

At every sound she jumped, and if any movement occurred near her, she was forced to muffle a cry of fright.

Why didn't anybody look as agitated as her?

_Jesus, Brooke, calm down, _she instructed herself when a tap from Bevin's foot initiated a violent flinch. _You're going to give yourself a goddamn heart-attack, and the whole point of this is to stay alive, remember?_

Of course, right now, the idea of dying wasn't all together the most unappealing option. If anything, it might finally bring her some peace…

Brooke started.

_What the fuck are you thinking?_

Of course she didn't want to die. She was only sixteen! She had so much waiting for her, so much she still wanted to do. Life had basically sucked the past few months, she would admit, but things could change. They already were as a matter of fact. Brooke wanted to be alive for when they really got good.

_You will be_, Brooke assured herself. She was determined to get through this. She wanted to. Even if meant years of psychologists and doctors.

Brooke Davis _always _got what she wanted. And she wanted this most of all.

_But, _a tentative voice crept inside her head, the tiniest bit of doubt slipping through even as Brooke battled against it, _things haven't been going your way for a while. What if this doesn't either?_

Brooke refused to even acknowledge the thought. She couldn't think like that. She had to think positive. She was Cheery, for God's sake! Any moment now, she just knew Jake would rap on that door, face shining, and lead them all away from this horrible closet in this broken school. Every one of them, all together, would race outside and never look back. They would be safe. And when Brooke reached her house, she and Peyton would have a sleepover again, just so they wouldn't have to go through the night alone after something like this. Then, the next morning, the phone would ring continuously as everybody called to say that they had made it out all right.

_Yeah, _Brooke thought bitterly. _That's exactly how it's going to be._

The truth was that Brooke knew her fantasy was just that. A fantasy. She had known it from the very beginning, when she had run past Theresa, obviously dead, having been shot by the kid in Brooke's world history class that Brooke had always suspected had a huge crush on her. His head had been covered by a mask, yes, but Brooke knew. He was wearing the same shirt she had complimented him on a couple weeks ago. The same shirt he wore at least once, if not twice, a week ever since she had.

Brooke angrily brushed at her eyes, which had apparently had tears streaming from them for quite some time now, judging from the amount of runny mascara streaked across the back of her hand now.

Funny. She didn't even realize she had started crying until then.

But somebody else had.

Brooke felt the odd, pricking feeling of someone watching her when she turned to catch Peyton's frightened eyes on her. Peyton, her best friend, the person she hadn't paid any attention to since she snapped at her for her damned pacing. Back and forth, back and forth, in such a tight area—at that point in time, Peyton had nearly driven Brooke insane. She had felt perfectly justified in putting an end to it, no matter how rudely.

Now, however, her previous harsh words brought a wave of shame over Brooke. Peyton was her best friend, going through the same thing she was, and probably out of her mind with worry for Jake, and Brooke had had no right to be so cruel.

Peyton was still watching her.

Shakily, Brooke rose to her feet, and, without a word, walked over to her friend. Still silent, they just stood facing each other for a few moments. Then Peyton's face crumpled, and Brooke was right there to just be there for her. The two friends stood there in the middle of the dimly lit closet, embracing each other, drawing comfort from the fact that they knew they weren't alone.

And they would never be. As long as both of them remained alive.

Unfortunately, the chances of both of them surviving were very slim.

That was when the doorknob began to jiggle frantically until the person finally managed to force it open. Peyton and Brooke sprung apart, faces alit with panic. Brooke regained a grip on Peyton's arm and squeezed it hard.

The person stepped through the doorway, haggard and limping. Without warning, he suddenly stumbled and fell forward.

Brooke and Peyton tried to steady him as they released soft, matching cries.

It was Jake.

**Author's Note: **Chapter Three! Hate me yet? Not a lot to say except I've written out reviewer responses, but they won't be posted till next chapter for reasons that are currently being withheld. ;)

_until next time…_

_caramelo_


	4. But Before We Can Hope

**Only in the News**

_By: caramelo_

_I do not own _One Tree Hill _or anything related to it._

**Story Notes: **_I don't think I ever mentioned the time frame for this story. For those of you that were wondering, it takes place sometime soon after What Is And What Should Never Be and before The Leaving Song. (In other words, post-B/L/P triangle, but Pre-Naley marriage)_

**Chapter Four: **But Before We Can Hope

"Jesus," Brooke muttered as she struggled to keep Jake standing upright. She looked at one of the basketball players expectantly. Jeremy, she was pretty sure his name was. She had dated him for like two hours in seventh grade. "A little help here?"

"Oh, right," Jeremy said, shaking his head and hurrying forward. He lifted Jake's weight off her and Peyton with ease and lowered him to the floor. Jake winced.

"Thanks man," he said through clenched teeth.

"No problem, Jay," Jeremy shrugged. Brooke rolled her eyes impatiently. Now was so _not _the time for formalities.

Jake seemed to catch on to her nearly imperceptible actions. "Sorry, Brooke," he said, smiling weakly.

Brooke waved him off. Though she wouldn't deny how worried about him she really was at the moment, they just didn't have the time for a heart-to-heart right now. Maybe they never would. Brooke had never been all that close to Jake. That was Peyton's thing.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Jake sighed. He raked a hand through his hair and sat silently for a beat, before finally sending an almost apologetic look in Bevin's direction. "You were right. There's somebody there again."

Regret washed over Bevin's features. "I didn't want to be," she said.

"But you were," Jake sighed again and shook his head. "Almost took me by surprise."

Peyton settled down beside him and put a tentative hand on his shoulder, concerned. "What happened?" she asked softly.

"I made a mistake," Jake said, sounding somewhat disgusted with himself. "I wasn't careful enough. I made it up to the corner before the door okay, and I figured it was all clear, so I was just about to turn back and bring you guys all out there." A strange flash of self-berating and relief crossed his face for a moment before he continued. "Imagine how shocked I was when I heard these two guys talking all smooth and calm with each other. And then one of them decided it was the perfect time to make another round."

Peyton's eyes widened and Brooke gasped. "What did you do?"

Jake laughed. It was bitter and full of regret and just something completely unexpected of him. Peyton was taken aback, and without realizing it, slipped her hand from his shoulder. Jake glanced at her, regretful at the loss of comfort.

"I fell," he said flatly. "Twisted my ankle."

Brooke looked confused. "Then how did you…" she trailed off as he abruptly opened his mouth again.

"It wasn't a terribly loud fall or anything. And when you know there's somebody coming towards you with a gun, you don't really let something like a twisted ankle slow you down," Jake replied. "I ran right into the nearest classroom, and as soon as he passed, I ran straight here."

Peyton took a sharp intake of breath. It was beyond relief to see that Jake was physically all right besides what looked to be a pretty bad sprain, but to think what would have happened if he'd taken one more step, turned that last corner, or gotten up just a few seconds later from his fall…The thought sent a shudder racking through her body.

Jake seemed to sense her unease. "You okay?" he asked her quietly as everyone around them fell into varying states of despair, coming to the conclusion that they were trapped waiting, again.

Peyton wanted to nod, she could picture the motions of herself nodding, but her body seemed to be following directions from a source outside her mind as she shook her head no. "Jesus, Jake," she whispered. "You could have been shot." She swallowed hard and lifted her gaze to his. "You could have _died_."

Jake's expression visibly tightened, but he wrapped a reassuring arm around her all the same. "But I didn't," he whispered into her ear. "I'm back here with you."

"For the moment anyway," Peyton murmured as she brushed away distressed tears.

Brooke, who hadn't meant to, but didn't try to stop herself from overhearing their conversation, chose that minute to jump in, flinging herself down at Peyton's other side. "Hey," she said huskily, tucking a curl behind her friend's ear, "Don't talk like that, P. Sawyer. Jake's okay. Maybe the fact that none of us have gotten hurt yet is a good sign."

"Maybe," Peyton whispered, her voice hitching slightly.

"Not maybe. It is," Brooke insisted. When Peyton didn't react, she continued in a soothing tone. "I have a feeling, you know, like the first time, except now it's a good one."

Peyton lifted her head. "Really?" she asked Brooke, a hint of hope crossing her face.

Brooke bit her lip before smiling and nodding. "Really," she said.

The two friends wrapped their arms around each other again, holding on tightly. Brooke could feel Peyton relax against her, which emitted a sigh of relief. But then there was a small part of her, just a small one, that couldn't help but feel guilty and only served to upset her. So what if she had told a white lie to ease her friend's fears? Who cared if she wasn't as sure that things would really turn out all right?

Brooke's eyes welled with tears, and she burrowed her head deeper into Peyton's shoulder. She stayed there for a few hushed minutes, unmoving, as her friend breathed ragged breaths, slowly allowing herself to let go of at least a couple of her fears. That was when Brooke felt the unmistakable pull of somebody staring at her, forcing her to lift her head off of Peyton's shaking shoulder. No sooner than her eyes had risen had she met the patient eyes of Jake, who held an almost fond look in his eyes, an unspoken reassurance.

Brooke gave a weak smile back. His eyes were only a small comfort, but a comfort all the same. But it wasn't long before she was forced to break the connection, unable to believe in the hope it held, as she turned her attention back on Peyton. "Come on, sweetie," she said, flinching under the weight Peyton had put on her. She tensed her shoulder and gave Peyton no choice but to rise.

Peyton looked confused and attempted to thinly veil the hurt she felt. Brooke's gaze was unfocused, unwilling to face the guilt of pushing her best friend away, but she could sense how upset Peyton was.

"Maybe it would be best if you let Jake help you," Brooke whispered as she gave Peyton's hand one last squeeze before she stood up.

This time, there was no hiding the hurt in Peyton's eyes. She reached out a hand towards her friend, almost begging. "Stay with me," she pleaded.

In a move so uncharacteristic of her, Brooke gave a brisk shake of her head. No. She couldn't stay with Peyton. Not right now. Not when she felt as if her body was shutting down right where she stood even if her mind couldn't. It was a strange feeling for her, this desperation, this hopelessness. Usually Brooke was the one who could always handle it, always help. _Cheery_, Lucas had called her.

_Lucas…_

Was he even still alive?

Brooke bit her lip and held back an impulsive wave of tears. Mechanically, she turned away, away from Peyton, away from the expressions of persistent false hopes. What was wrong with her? She had always been so emotionally charged during dramatic situations, so full of adrenaline and dreams of how she could make things better. And usually, she tried her best to do so. Why couldn't she now when it was most important?

Why was she pushing her best friend away?

-

The shapes were vague and shadowy, and whispers flew in the air above her. Haley tried her best to reach out to the shadows, in hopes to bring them into the light, see what they really where, but her arm felt so heavy and laden, like lead. She tried to say something, perhaps demand their identities, but all she could manage was an obscure, nonsensical mumble, much to her dismay.

But it seemed to be enough. All at once, the whispers stopped.

This pleased her to no end. Haley mumbled again, not even attempting to say anything intelligible, just trying to keep their attention. Because, despite their shrouded identities, she drew a strange comfort from these figures, whoever or whatever they were.

One of them moved, and very suddenly, Haley felt a cool finger tracing her temples. So they _were _human. Not that Haley hadn't expected them to be, but still, it was nice to be sure. Haley wanted to frown, but it seemed as if her muscles wouldn't work properly. If only she could see them.

The figure moved his hand away, and Haley felt an acute sense of loss as she mumbled again to try and bring the person back. However, before she had much chance to protest, the other leaned in and whispered something she couldn't quite understand, but it felt just as much a caress as the hand had.

Haley became tense very suddenly.

Something was happening, changing.

The room was getting brighter by the second, and the shadows were quickly fading. Haley gave a silent protest; she didn't want them to leave. But, then, as she strained to look closer, she noticed that the shadows weren't going away, far from it in fact. If anything, they were becoming more solid, more real, steadily gaining color and outlines as the seconds passed.

"Haley," one of them called. Even their voices were getting fuller and deeper. Haley had the urge to smile as she welcomed the change. Everything was still fairly blurry, and Haley couldn't make out the faces yet, but she didn't have to to know that she felt safe with these people. It was all in the feeling she got.

"Haley."

Abruptly, everything disappeared into darkness, pure darkness this time, and Haley spent a moment in silent confusion. And that was when her eyelids finally fluttered open.

She was still enshrouded by the dark, but it felt so much more real than before. Haley smiled. _That's because it is real. _Just barely, she could make out Lucas's worried head hovering up above her. Haley repressed the strange urge to giggle.

As her eyes became more accustomed to the darkness, Haley could make out the also very real outline of the rest of Lucas's body, which is how she saw his shoulders sag with relief upon her consciousness. "Thank God," he muttered.

Haley was about to say something when she remembered the presence of the second shadow. Where had it gotten to? Her eyes searched the near vicinity wildly before they fell on a figure leaning heavily against a wall of some sort.

And then she sat up rather suddenly.

"Nathan," she breathed.

A hush fell at her gasp, in which a few silent moments were filled with Nathan and Haley both staring at each other, wide-eyed. Haley reached out to touch his cheek, just to make sure this wasn't another one of the tricks of her mind. She could feel her own shoulders slumping with overwhelming relief and joy as her fingers collided with barely perceptible stubble at the jaw line.

It was Lucas who finally broke the trance that had settled over them.

"Sure," he said, joking, "I'm not here. Just keep on ignoring me."

Nathan emitted a low growl from his throat but kept his gaze steady on Haley. "You try almost dying. Then you can have all the attention you want."

Lucas shrugged easily. "Already done that."

"Funny," Nathan grumbled. It looked like he was ready to take his eyes away from Haley for a second and say more, but that was when she leapt at him.

"Oh my God," Haley whispered shakily as she threw her arms around him. "How…?"

Nathan winced at her sudden lunge but encased her in one arm as well, his other going up to cover his side. "Takes more than a bullet to bring me down."

"That, and extraordinarily bad aim on the shooter's part," Lucas pitched in.

Haley shot Lucas a _look_. One that said he wasn't being nearly as sensitive as he should be given the situation. Lucas grimaced sheepishly.

Nathan chuckled, seeing their exchange. "Lucas and I already went through all the hysterics before you woke up," he explained to calm her down a little, "He's entered a state of delirious happiness now that my being alive has sunk in."

"I wouldn't go that far," Lucas mumbled, but not loud enough for Haley to hear. Nathan's statement did ring some truth though. Upon the discovery that his younger brother was still alive, Lucas had been in a fairly good mood, mostly due to relief, given the circumstances. Nathan's survival had greatly improved his hopes.

Haley could almost feel some of Lucas's giddiness creep into her own system. "You're really alive," she turned back to Nathan and whispered while tracing an almost disbelieving finger over his face. "You're really here."

"I'm not going to leave you, Haley," Nathan said, "That's a promise."

Haley bit her lip, burying herself deeper into his embrace, and Nathan winced again. This time, Haley had to take notice, even if Nathan had been trying to prevent her from it. "What's wrong?" she demanded as she pulled away.

Nathan grimaced. He looked away without answering.

"Tell me," Haley insisted. "What was that?"

Sighing, Nathan took a second to rub absently at his side again, unable to stop the small hiss of pain that escaped when he did. Haley's eyes immediately shot to the area where Nathan's fingers were touching tentatively and was horrified to see blood gathered on his dark shirt and fingertips. She gasped in surprise and horror.

"I thought he missed!" she cried, rounding on Lucas accusatorily.

Lucas's eyes widened. Obviously, he hadn't expected, nor wanted, to be brought into this. He put a cautious hand on Haley's shoulder to soothe her. "He did," Lucas defended his earlier statement, "just not completely."

"There was a graze," Nathan admitted when Haley turned back to him. She looked upset, so he continued on hurriedly. "But that's probably what saved me life. He saw the blood and just assumed that I was dead."

Haley nodded, not completely reassured but satisfied for the moment. That was when an unwanted memory suddenly flashed before her eyes. It was her and Lucas crouched under the desk, that very suddenly, Haley realized as she glanced at her surroundings, they were still under. Anyway, she and Lucas had been there, scared and shaking, as footsteps taunted them mercilessly as they drew closer. Haley was crying, and she and Lucas were holding each other so tightly. She was pretty much resigned to her fate.

And then the memory finished abruptly. That must have been when she passed out. She turned to face Lucas, questioning. "And what about us?" she said softly.

It was an ill-worded and almost random question, but Lucas seemed to understand her just fine. He had always been able to follow her train of thought. It was one of the things about him that made Haley love him so much. Lucas took her hand and squeezed tightly with a smile. "I really didn't think we'd make it," he admitted. "They were so close…"

_Lucas was crouched under the desk with Haley, unable to keep from shaking. _God, Scott, _he berated himself. _Try to keep yourself under control. You're probably scaring Haley. _But the shivers refused to cease. At least he had good reason, he thought wryly, there was nothing like the threat of death to justify this sort of cowardice. _

_All at once, he could felt Haley's shivering underneath him stop. He looked down at her, askance. Lucas was more than horrified to see that she had passed out as her head lolled against the floor. She was still there physically, but Lucas couldn't help but feel so much more alone. And about fifty times more terrified than he already was._

_Brown boots sidled up along the desk. Lucas felt something turn in his stomach as he realized he owned the exact same pair. They were his favorites. Used to be anyway. Funny how much the very sight of them scared him now._

_The person grunted, presumably as he lowered himself to kneel. Lucas could see a large hand with thick, fleshy fingers steady his weight on the floor. He held his breath. This was it._

_And that was when he heard the cries. _

_They were faint and far away, but there was no doubt that they were real. They sounded heartbreakingly familiar, but Lucas couldn't quite decipher the owners. Lucas was pleased to note that they sounded surprised, but not afraid. _

_Obviously, they did not go unnoticed by the gunmen either. "Did you hear that?" the one by the door asked roughly. There was a silence in which the one next to the desk presumably nodded. "Let's go," the first said. The one by the desk gave another grunt as he jumped up, his hand pushing off the floor, and his previous task obviously forgotten._

_Lucas didn't let go of the breath he was holding until their footsteps were nothing but faint echoes in the background. He rested his head in his hand for a few seconds, his breathing harsh and ragged. It was then that he heard something rustle behind him and a voice whispered in his ear._

_"You may have cheated death once, but I wouldn't advise trying it again," Nathan said above him, gesturing to the precarious position Lucas and Haley were in at the moment, Lucas practically sprawled over her._

_If it hadn't been for the desk, Lucas was certain he would have jumped straight up into the air. Haley seemed to have the right idea, he reflected ironically as he studied her unconscious form. _

_"But you're dead," Lucas whispered in astonishment, almost certain he had gone insane by this point._

_"Not yet," Nathan said darkly. That was when Lucas noted Nathan's hunched over stance and his hand clutching at his side. Nathan followed Lucas's gaze and smiled bitterly. "I was real close though."_

_They may have been teenage boys with pride and arrogance and all those other frustrating traits, but they were brother, and Nathan had nearly died, goddamnit. Lucas felt perfectly justified in pulling him into a tight embrace. And Nathan didn't seem to mind as he followed Lucas's lead._

**Author's Note: **A couple of you caught onto something. Onto what, I'm not going to say, but you definitely nailed it. Also, thirty points to the person who can tell me whose cries (and when/why they happened) saved Lucas and Haley from the gunmen. Please read and review! I love reading all the feedback for this story. It's so encouraging. Also, I remember to include the review responses from last chapter. I was too worried about giving anything away then to post them with chapter three.

**Chapter two reviewer responses…**

**bruno: **Thanks! I really am trying to keep my stories away from the overdone cliché stuff, but it's hard, you know? It's so easy to fall into the trap of writing the same thing everyone else has…I hope this was original enough for you!

**Innoccent Devil: **Bevin is kind of a shady character, isn't she? We really don't know that much about her.

**curlyhead: **I'm a fan of the cheerleaders myself. I loved the Sparkle Classic Competition episode (don't know the name of it though, I'm not real good with those). And yeah, this is an episode idea I'd like to see in the show too. I don't know if you've seen the show Degrassi before, but they recently came out with a school shooting episode that I thought turned out pretty well. It's a sensitive topic that can be a powerful episode if they handled it the right way.

**FriendsFan: **Aww! I luv you too! LOL…and yeah I'm a big fan of the Brooke/Peyton relationship. Strictly on friendly terms, of course. Hope this came out fast enough for you!

**Agel15: **Yeah, Lucas and Haley have such a great friendship. I'd really like to see the show expand more on it. Actually the show would do well to expand on all of the friendships. I'd much rather see that than a ton of new characters coming in and taking over. (_coughAnnacough)_

**Hanna: **Awesome. Sometimes I worry I'm being too obvious, but I love being disagreed with. ;) But yeah, you gotta watch out for those inner dialogues. They will be abundant for all the characters. Mostly because half the time they can't talk. And, a lot of people have responded about the Brooke/Peyton friendship, which I am _thrilled _about. I'm glad so many people still support them as friends, instead of totally hating anything to do with Peyton/Brooke because they're a B/L or P/L fan. (Okay, I'm a hypocrite because I used to do that, blame the B/L/P triangle, and I like one with Lucas better than the other, but it's so much easier, and fun, to like both of them)

**Queen of the Elven City: **LOL I've had people request characters _not _to get hurt, but your review made me laugh…But I guess if it means cleaning your room, I should consider it, right? lol

**Raynacch SilverMoon: **I'm glad you liked it! Summaries aren't particularly easy…and they have to be so short on this site! It drives me crazy! As for promising the safety of the main characters, um, I don't think I can do that. Sorry! But as for the J/P, I like them too, but we'll see what happens.

**dead beat heart: **You think it's that realistic? That's awesome! Thanks.

**firefightersgal: **Cheerleaders can be tricky…but maybe this one has good intentions.

**lysser8312: **Trust me, it's hard picking out who goes! I mean, I love Tim, and look what happened! I almost deleted that part out.

**Princessbm: **Character bonding is great. As far as I'm concerned, they don't have enough of it in the show. Especially when it comes to friendships (coughLucas/Haley).

**nate: **A huge bloody massacre? I hadn't realized it was _that _bad.

**IntentionallyCruel: **Scary, huh? That's new. Haha…you know I'm the type of person that drives my friends nuts when we're telling spooky stories cuz I always end up laughing in the middle or leaving out humongous parts. But no, don't worry Felix is not in this story. Felix will not be in any of my stories unless he's the bad guy that everybody hates.

**l-a-c-18: **Yep, I'd have to say being in a group probably increases the danger level for them. And remember, just because Brooke's my favorite doesn't mean she's safe. I mean, look what happened to Tim, who also happens to be a favorite by the way.

**Crack of Doom: **OMG! You are like the best review I've read. Every time I see it I laugh. And umm, yeah NB are cool…so why aren't you visiting the Firecracker board? HUH? You can't lose interest in the show yet! You have to see Felix get kicked off in a totally crappy way.

**Tardychick06: **Let's see if your guess is right, whoever it is.

**genuinexchiled: **Thanks! This probably wasn't your definition of soon, but I have to say, I'm pretty happy that I got it out within the month lol.

**Brucas/JeffnTrish4eva: **Lucas and Brooke are so cute together, aren't they? I love them. But I'm not promising they'll get together. No way. I'm not even promising that both of them will stay alive.

**Erica: **Brilliant? Suspenseful? Aw, shucks. LOL Thanks!

**lizz: **Hope you still think it's good after this chapter. ;)

**NovStar: **A lot a lot? Like how much? This much- LOL I love it when little kids do that with their arms when they tell you how much they love something. Of course, it's not nearly as cute on the computer. ;)

**NaThAnHaLeY4eVa: **Of course I'm continuing!

**melihoku: **Haha when I first read your review I thought you meant is that how the story ends. I was like "OMG, no way, people think I'm ending this soon?" And then I got smarter and realized you probably meant the chapter. Lol

**tlc4ever312: **Awesome! Don't fall off your chair!

**LucasnBlondie03: **Glad you like it! Once again, see my advice above about the chair.

**SuperJew277: **You really don't know? I haven't given anything away yet? AWESOME. I'm usually so obvious.

**TheSouthernBelle: **Since you asked so nicely…sure!

**amanda: **I wish I could say every one of them will make it out, but sorry, no promises.

**countrybutterfly: **Now! Talk about pressure lol! So it's not now anymore (does that make sense?), but I'd still appreciate a review.

**kaos: **I seem to be good at writing dark. It's depressing since I really much prefer humor. And as for Brooke…sorry. I'm not promising anything.

**Julie: **Soon enough? I hope everybody makes it out too!

**Reviewer responses for chapter three…**

**FriendsFan: **No parents yet. But oh boy there will be. Hopefully in character since I'm not used to writing them.

**lisa2302: **I loved reading your review(s). Cookies to you for being so smart! I'm glad you like the direction the characters are going in. And yes, you read the Brooke/Jake undertones correctly. I'm not saying they'll be a couple, but I do think they'd have a good chemistry. However, (this is so repetitive) that doesn't guarantee that they'll survive.

**liz: **Your favorite fic? AWESOME. Makes me feel sooo special. lol

**Anonimus: **I guess it is kind of different, for this category anyway. Not a terribly original plot by any means, but I really haven't seen any others like this on fanfiction. I hoped you like this chapter!

**Jenn: **I wrote your response and realized it was almost word for word as the person's above your (Anonimus). LOL Anyway, thanks for reading!

**kafia: **The parents' reactions will…vary. To tell the truth I haven't really thought that far ahead yet. And as for Lucas, well, plenty happens. You'll see.

**Kaity: **Do it for Jenny! Aww, it would be sad to have Jenny's dad be taken away. But I'm sure the others would be more than willing to take her in too. And don't go insane! I need you to review!

**melihoku: **I made you cry? Aww, I'm sorry. Did this chapter make you feel better? ;)

**tardychick: **Jake seems to be the one person have the biggest argument against dying, and I can totally see why. Unfortunately, I can't make a promise for any of them.

**genuinexchild: **Yeah, I think I even surprised myself with a couple of the things I threw in last chapter. I have a very basic outline of the story, but it leaves plenty of room to throw stuff in if I'm just typing and happen to get an idea.

**lysser8312: **Restored your hope yet? ;) And another person to pick up on the little Brooke/Jake I threw in there! Yay! If you'll notice though, there are small undertones for a lot of the character relationships in this story.

**Serious Fan: **Yeah, I've killed characters I wasn't planning to in that chapter (Mouth). I love Mouth. And Tim.

**Shannon: **Major cookies to you for being so smart.

**ElisaCollette: **I'm assuming you're a Haley and Peyton fan. Right? Those are two cool chicks if you ask me. And yes, it would be sad to see the Peyton/Jake relationship end. However, it was also sad to see Tim and Mouth die. Unfortunately, this story isn't guaranteed a happy ending for anyone.

**Princessbm: **You hate me? That's so…sad… lol. Yes, there is some major foreshadowing that goes on.

**charli: **Rest assured, Nathan is relatively okay. For now.

**Brucas/JeffnTrish4eva: **Brucas fan? Me too! Romance, however, may have to take the backseat this story. And just b/c I like them does not necessarily mean they will get together. Everything has to fit the overall story, and I'm not sure if they do.

**CharmingPiper: **Thanks. It's hard writing about something so serious. You want to lighten it up sometimes, you know, but then you realize you can't.

**Agel15: **Nice work. I didn't come right out and say it in this chapter, but I'm hoping it was implied that Haley blacked out from the terror. Thanks for the great review!

**lizziebeth: **I love the Lucas/Haley friendship! I'm currently in denial that the show actually showed Lucas confiding things in Anna that rightfully should have been told to Haley. It's ridiculous.

**tutorgirl323: **Thanks! Did I update soon enough? It was within the month…I think.

**LucasnBlondie: **Relatively speaking, I think this chapter was lighter than the rest. Nathan being alive is good, right?

**jacqueline22393: **LOL I kept messing up the numbers in your name. I swear sometimes I'm dyslexic or something. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

**Izzy: **Nope. Nathan survived. For now. This can be read as an either good or bad sign, considering how far down his survival pushed the chances for the other characters.

**Henka: **Nathan and Jake are okay. For now. In all honesty, I can tell you that there is way more to come for at least one of them.

**klm111a: **Yeah, I read over my chapters sometimes and I'm like, geez, how could I write this or how could I kill so-and-so. When I'm not agonizing over the grammar errors I missed or whether or not I made the characters believable enough, of course.

**jamesandbryan: **I am evil. Totally agree. Was this chapter out fast enough?

**l-a-c-18: **You are the last review response, and for that, I love you. In all seriousity (My spell check is telling me that isn't a word, and it's probably right, but just go with it ;) ). Just because you're the last, I'm going to tell you something. These reviewer responses took two hours, three pages in size 9 font, and are almost two thousand words. Does that make me a masochist? Of course, I had to write a few responses for chapter two still so that took a little longer and more space than usual. Of course, I'm not complaining. No way. I love you guys! It was worth it. But I am never, ever getting behind in my responses again. Because that would be bad. Very, very bad. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING!


	5. Little, Lame Children

**Only in the News**

_By: caramelo_

_I do not own _One Tree Hill _or anything related to it._

**Chapter Five: **Little, Lame Children

Peyton sat in a hurt silence. Every so often, she would glance in Brooke's direction, eyes full of confusion and tears, wondering what had happened to her best friend. _Stay with me_, she had begged not five minutes earlier. _Stay with me._

She would have begged longer too if Brooke hadn't turned her back.

In a half-hearted attempt to stop the tears from rolling, Peyton brushed at her eyes with her sleeve. She could feel Jake tightening an arm around her, left to care for her under the instructions of Brooke._ He would have done it anyway, _Peyton thought absently, _Jake's just that kind of guy._

But as much as she appreciated Jake staying with her, despite the mess she must have been, he wasn't her best friend. He wasn't Brooke. Brooke…who was currently curling into the smallest corner she could find, resolutely staring at the ground while a girl beside her choked back sobs of fear.

Peyton averted her eyes. Everyone had their own way of dealing with tragedies, she reminded herself. Some screamed and cried and fought until things were okay, a group Peyton would have pegged Brooke to be in. But Brooke seemed to be falling into the other category, where the person fell under the weight of everything and pushed everyone else away, and Peyton couldn't help but feel betrayed.

That wasn't the Brooke she knew.

Of course, there was a third way to deal with tragedy, Peyton-patented, which was, of course, to screw your best friend's boyfriend, and that wasn't the person Peyton knew herself to be either. Tragedy changed people, made them darker, less predictable. Tore them apart.

Peyton curled her legs against her chest and buried her head in her knees. Her breathing was ragged, and her body was shaking. Tragedy was certainly taking its toll on her. Death almost seemed like a welcome alternative to this hell.

A hand gave her arm a squeeze, and Peyton was suddenly reminded, again, that she was not alone. "Hang in there, Peyt," a reassuring voice whispered in her ear. Peyton let out a slow breath and felt her heavy head rising from her knees, leaning towards Jake.

"It's hard," she whispered back.

"I know," Jake said. "It's hard for all of us." He sent a meaningful nod over towards Brooke, and Peyton inclined her head to show she understood.

"I just really wish she wouldn't close up like this. It's so…"

"Like you?" Jake supplied helpfully as Peyton struggled. Peyton fell silent immediately, defenses raised and ready to argue. "Shh," he shushed her before she could, "You do, and you know it. All those years you spent drawing pictures instead of talking to people. It had to be hard for her too."

"So what are you trying to say?" she demanded in a harsh whisper as she twisted in his arms. "Is this some sort of _punishment_ for the way I acted?"

"No," Jake said slowly, thinking his words over carefully. "I think Brooke just realizes that her way of dealing isn't going to keep her sane in this mess. So she's going to the other way she's familiar with. The one you made work so well for you."

"It didn't," Peyton said, her voice dull. "I came out a pretty messed up person."

Jake tightened his hold around her. "I don't think so."

* * *

"Wow," Haley said as Lucas finished his story. Their story. She leaned against the inside wall of the desk behind her heavily in apparent disbelief at how close they had come to dying. Lucas watched her carefully. It was a lot to take in, especially for a person who had just been pulled out of a shock not ten minutes before. He brushed a hand on her arm.

"You okay?" he asked her anxiously, offering a smile when she looked back up at him.

Haley bit her lip, ready to appease him with a nod and a matching smile, but something caused her to hesitate. If there was anyone that could see through one of her lies, it was Lucas, and if there was anyone who would be most upset about her lying, it would probably be him too. So she shook her head instead. "Not really," she admitted.

Lucas nodded, and the hand on her arm gave a comforting squeeze. He understood. "Today's been hell."

Nathan spoke up suddenly, darkly. "It's not over yet." His tone was bitter.

A tear rolled down Haley's face, and Lucas turned to glare at his little brother. "What the fuck, man?" he demanded, pulling Haley in towards him, already wiping away tears that hadn't fallen yet.

"It isn't," Nathan said defensively, although he was considerably less hostile as he spoke. "I'm just saying, we need to try and find a way out of here again. Now's not the time for precious little bonding moments."

"Are you crazy, Nate?" Haley said, tugging herself out of Lucas's arms, her tear-streaked face incredulous. "I was against it before, and now this happened, and I'm even more convinced I'm right. It's better just to stay here. Wait for the police."

"And where the fuck are the police?" Nathan snapped. "They're not here yet, and I'm not going to sit and wait hoping to make it through another one of those bastard's rounds around this school. I won't."

"It's the safest thing," Haley cried.

"No, it's not," Nathan said, his voice hard. "They're going to remember that they heard something around here, and they're going to come back and check it out. And then, if they're smart, they'll notice that there's a body missing from the hallway. Mine if you want to get specific."

It was obvious that Nathan's sharp words had hurt Haley, and Lucas resisted the strong urge to punch him, an urge he hadn't had for a good week or so. Nathan seemed to realize how harsh he had been and was instantly apologetic, although stubbornly holding his ground. "Listen, Hales," he said as he reached out for her. She didn't comply, and he grimaced like it pained him. "I'm sorry, okay? But I'm right too, and you guys both know I am. It's dangerous inside this place. Even you were on my side with this, Lucas."

Lucas met his brother's gaze unabashedly. "That was before you got shot," he said.

"And then I almost had to watch you guys get shot too," Nathan reasoned. "You think that was easy? If we stay here, it could happen again. But if we get outside, we won't have to worry about that shit anymore. We'll be safe. Completely. Come on, you guys. You have to see this my way."

"You're hurt, Nathan," Haley said, her voice barely controlled. "How are you going to be able to get around?"

"I'm not crippled," Nathan said sourly. "I'll be fine."

Haley broke away from Lucas and crawled over in front of Nathan. His eyes were glinting with determination through the darkness under the desk. She stared at him for a good minute, as if testing him, challenging him. Nathan could feel the smallest stirrings of doubt in his stomach when she leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. "Okay," she murmured as she pulled away.

Nathan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Okay as in you see it my way? You want to get out of here?"

"Of course, I want to get out," Haley said. "Although I don't necessarily agree that this is the best way," Nathan opened his mouth to argue, but she shushed him quickly, "we don't exactly have many other choices. So if this is what you really want to do, and you're positive you're up to it, we'll look around for a way out again."

This time, Lucas was the one ready to protest. Haley seemed to anticipate this and cut him off before he began. "You did agree with Nathan before," she pointed out reasonably. "It'd be pretty crappy to turn back on him now."

Nathan grinned admiringly at his girlfriend. "Listen to the lady, Luke. She's the smart one."

* * *

Brooke rested her chin on her knees, curling herself into the tightest possible ball she could manage. Her skin was pale, and she was completely motionless, except for her racing eyes. They never lingered on one spot, and never dared fall on Peyton or Jake. Except for the occasional split-second glance, she seemed entirely unaffected by the freshman sobbing quietly beside her.

Jake sighed into Peyton's curls as he watched her. Brooke was strong, but a situation like this was enough to break anybody. And in the time Jake had gotten to know Brooke, he had gotten a particular impression from her. She was almost like Nikki in the way that she ran from commitment, scared to let people in. And letting people help her…out of the question. It was just as bad. So while Brooke's will was strong, she wasn't the type to ask for help, and that could very well leave her as good as dead. A person couldn't afford to lose it during this sort of situation.

He studied her painstakingly again. Jake didn't doubt that Brooke might have very well already begun losing it.

A sniffle came from the bundle of curls below him, and Jake ran a hand through Peyton's hair reassuringly. _It would be okay. They would be fine. Brooke didn't hate her._ It was funny, Jake mused, as he continued to twirl her hair in his fingers. Brooke and Peyton had all but switched bodies. He would have expected Peyton to be the one to try and escape from reality. God knows, he had had to pull her back enough times in the past few weeks. But without a pen and paper in her hands, Jake suspected she had nothing to aid her in an escape this time. So she was forced to stay with them, while Brooke was the one to run away.

Brooke's eyes suddenly fell on him, and all at once Jake knew that Brooke and Peyton hadn't switched places after all. If it had been Peyton, her hazel eyes would have been dull and tired, blank in expression. But Brooke couldn't have been more different. The battling emotions were thinly veiled behind her gaze, a mixture of fear, sadness, desperation, and too many others for Jake to count. She was definitely losing it, but not in the way Jake had originally thought. He was almost certain that Brooke was going to explode. He lifted his chin from Peyton's hair. Brooke's stare flickered for a moment, to the door and then to the girl beside her, and Jake almost thought he had lost her again, before her eyes rested on him once more.

"Brooke," he murmured. His voice was low and soothing. Peyton's head shot up in attention as she looked back and forth between him and her best friend. She was obviously trying not to let her hopes rise.

Brooke seemed on the edge. So Jake repeated himself. The fingers Brooke had latched around her shins in a death grip seemed to loosen a little. It took a few moments, but Brooke finally opened her mouth, ready to speak. Peyton's fingers intertwined with his in anticipation.

Frantic knocking suddenly pounded at the door. "They're coming; they're coming!" a girl shrieked from outside.

* * *

"Which way?" Lucas whispered as they ventured hesitantly out into the hall. It was like a goddamn guessing game in Vegas, where you were more likely to lose, and when you did lose, you lost badly. He hadn't wanted to try escaping again, but he had been outnumbered by the unbeatable couple that was Nathan and Haley. He resented the fact that Haley had been quick to side with Nathan, which had become the usual lately, even though he knew she had more sense than to venture out here. Especially when Nathan, the bastard, wasn't really in the condition to be sneaking around like this.

But, Lucas had to admit to himself, as he snuck a furtive glance at Nathan, the guy wasn't hindering them much. He had utterly refused help other than that first boost off the ground and was creeping down the hallway just as quiet and fast as the other two. Lucas had had to steady him on a couple stumbles and missteps, and he did have a noticeable limp, but it was nothing too bad.

He suddenly realized that they were still scurrying around with no general direction in mind so he echoed his question from earlier. "Where are we going?"

"Back door," Haley grunted, and Lucas recognized that while he hadn't any particular thought to where he was going, Haley had been effectively steering him the direction she had had in mind the entire time.

The library came into view, and Lucas fought a sudden overwhelming nausea. Not from a dead body, surprisingly, which he had seen more of today to last him four or five lifetimes, but from scared eyes, blinking out, barely visible underneath the tables. It was sick, what these classmates had done to their own. What could have driven them?

Lucas couldn't help it. He took a few long strides over to a garbage can outside the library door, gripped its sides, and threw up his mom's blueberry pancakes "with a Thai twist." He winced at the noise he was making, knowing Haley and Nathan were sweating it out as they waited for him, but before long, his stomach was emptied. He grimaced and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand before he turned back at them, half-expecting Nathan to make some derisive comment about his show of unrestraint.

But none came.

Haley scampered up to him as soon as she was sure he was done and grabbed his hand. "You okay?" she whispered worriedly. Lucas nodded. She smiled weakly and gave his hand a squeeze before dropping it. Nathan came over to give both of them a push.

"Not safe here," he muttered.

As if to prove his point, not too far in the distance, a girl started screaming.

* * *

"Fuck," Jake said, and through the terrified haze in Brooke's mind she wondered if maybe this was the first time she had ever heard him swear. She was pretty sure it was. The room around her erupted into yells and cries, and Brooke looked up just in time to see a tall girl with long brown hair and brown eyes throw the door open. She was one of the top in their class, the thought registered dimly in Brooke's mind. Normally shy and reserved, her tousled hair and blotchy cheeks were a scary contrast.

"They heard you guys earlier," the girl panted. "They're heading in this direction."

_Heard them earlier_…Brooke's thoughts raced as she tried to remember what they might have done earlier. An image, playing like a movie, rolled in her head, turning her stomach.

_Jake stumbling through the same door the girl had come in…falling, hurt…Brooke throwing out her arms to stop him from hitting the ground, and Peyton's voice echoing her own. "Jake!"_

Oh, God.

She heard footsteps pounding in their direction.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god.

Jake must have heard them too. "Everybody out!" he yelled. She looked up at him, and he stared back, urging her forward, then his gaze flickered somewhere else.

Peyton's eyes were glazed over.

Brooke sprung into action. "Peyton," she hissed, launching herself towards her friend. "Peyton, snap out of it!" She stood up, tugging on Peyton's arm as she did so. "Come on!"

Peyton blinked once, then twice. Horror swept over her face, and she scrambled up. "We're so fucked," she gasped. Brooke didn't respond, but she secretly agreed as she pulled Peyton out the door.

And that was when she found herself facing the butt of a gun.

Peyton moaned behind her, and the group that had been so quiet and still in the janitor's closet earlier was in complete pandemonium. Shot after shot, body after body, and Brooke found herself frozen into place watching it all. The dark haired girl with the 4.2 GPA sobbed and begged as a gun was pressed onto her forehead. Brooke's gaze rose to the gunman's face and saw his expression was cold and merciless. He had no reason to kill this particular girl, Brooke knew, but he was going to do it anyway. Brooke could only watch it play out before her. Vaguely, she felt Peyton's nails dig into her hand and knew Peyton was rooted to the spot beside her as well.

The gunman's hand tightened around his gun. The girl's screams became louder.

This was it.

Then Jake launched himself at the other boy. Brooke could feel a sob bubbling up from her chest but couldn't be sure if she had made a sound or not. There was a split-second, furious scuffle ending with a bang, and the gunman stood up shakily while Jake remained still, blood pooling around him. Brooke felt tears flowing freely from her eyes and felt Peyton shaking when she realized their mistake.

While it was noble, the idea of staying behind for Jake, they had accomplished nothing with the other girl had scampered off in the opening she had been given, obviously able to keep her mind under pressure as well. And Brooke and Peyton remained, alone with a murderer.

He turned toward them, not fifteen feet away, a sick sort of grin on his face in comparison to the cold blankness it had held as he had prepared to kill the other girl. It was obvious he had been looking forward to getting a hold of them, although Brooke couldn't be sure why as she was certain she hadn't ever seen this boy in her life.

He leveled the gun towards her or Peyton, she wasn't completely aware of whom. Brooke opened her mouth but no sound came out. It didn't matter. Peyton was screaming loud enough for the both of them.

And then he pulled the trigger.

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry for the wait. I was trying to focus on getting my other story wrapped up, but really there's no excuse. I'm hoping, however, that this chapter will sort of kind of make up for it. Maybe? Or it could make you all yell at me for leaving it where I did, but you know, I don't mind. Just more pressure for me to get out another chapter sooner, hopefully, which isn't a bad thing. Awesome reviews last chapter, guys. Really. Please keep it up.

Something I feel deserves to be **noted**: I think a lot of you were confused on who saved Lucas and Haley. I tried to do more to clear it up this chapter, but if you're still confused, it was Brooke and Peyton crying Jake's name when he stumbled through the door, which in turn, lead the gunmen to them. Sorry for the confusion!

_Reviewer responses for chapter 4: _

**CutieRay: **Wow thanks. So many compliments. I'm flattered.

**Update: **I'm a miserable updater I know. It's a curse.

**basketcase: **Continued! Like the chapter? Hate it?

**OTHbaby08: **Hopefully the suspense hasn't killed you yet because I'd really appreciate another review. ;)

**A. sawyer: **Now I have a big _5 _chapters. So don't kill me. lol

**Emilie: **The characters had basically had an overdose of romance in the show at that point as far as I'm concerned. Haha. I wasn't looking to mess with relationships in this particular story.

**Adamsgirl4life16: **Umm..soon enough? LOL I know I'm a horrible updater.

**alexceaser: **Right on the Peyton and Brooke crying, nice job. Not entirely clear if you knew specifically when it happened, however, so feel free to clear that up in another review! LOL.

**ForeverInDarkness101: **Another reviewer who figured out on their own who saved Lucas and Haley! Cookies to you! And yes, unfortunately, it did lead to bad consequences.

**xocmmox: **Long review…I like it. And parts of your review only confirm the fact, that yes, everybody will hate me once I've finished the story. As for the police, now I'm not making any generalizations, because yes, I know police are awesome and everything, but a few that I've come across personally are less-than-great. Also, it must be taken into account that while there is a lot of description in the story, it actually is pretty fast-paced even if in the character's eyes it seems to stretch out forever. For the scream thing, see the author's not above. And if you want, I can start sending you emails when I update. Wow. Long response for a long review. I don't mind rambling!

**liz: **MORE FINALLY! LOL…umm according to the date on your review it's been a month since then that I've updated. Hopefully that's soon enough?

**akissonarainyday: **I'm sorry not to be able to answer most of your questions. When Columbine happened, I was almost too young to understand what happened, and it did take me a while to figure out why it did, partly in help from the book _She Said Yes_, which really is an amazing story about that day. I'm flattered by your review.

**0621: **I love your review. Awesome awesome awesome interpretation of the story. I think you were one of the only people who picked up on where the cries that saved Lucas and Haley came from. I look forward to another review by you!

**stephanie: **It has been forever. God. I'm not even going to say next chapter will come out sooner because every time I do that it somehow comes out slower. LOL, anyway, thanks for the review.

**flephanie: **Spot on? Thanks! Haha Everybody loves Nathan and Lucas.

**devil356: **Aww, thanks. I always feel bad when I get these reviews because I never seem to manage updating soon.

**PrincessPB: **A _little _gutsy? You mean _really really _gutsy haha. Wow, I really am flattered though. Thanks for the encouraging review.

**monnie: **Thanks for such a nice review! Um, I don't think anyone will be too happy with me after this chapter.

**Junkyxl: **That's awesome. I'm glad you thought it was realistic.

**beccarooni: **A TON of people were relieved about Nathan. I did say that there would be one main character death in the story, however. Sorry!

**Jessica: **I'd have to agree with you on the Brooke/Peyton thing, although I can't say that one of them isn't in danger, as you've seen from the chapter above.

**Queen of the Elven City: **It's okay! Just don't forget to review this chapter! And you've made me laugh again. Definitely one of my favorite reviewers.

**l-a-c-18: **To answer your question, Brooke and Peyton were in that shaky stage where they were trying to be friends, but weren't completely comfortable with each other. Think post-Lucas screwing Nikki, but pre-Jake leaving. However, Brooke saying no had more to do with herself than what had happened between her and Peyton.

**BrucasJeffnTrish4eva: **Playing favorites, huh? It's ok lol everybody does. Brooke and Lucas…well, I can honestly say that at least one will survive. Probably. I think.

**Jacqueline22393: **Confusing? Oh geez I'm sorry. Tell me which parts, and I'll see if I can try and clear them up for you.

**BrookenLucas12: **Whoa. Amazing review. I'm completely flattered. And now that I think about it I've read your stuff, and I liked it a lot, not just "borderline good". When are you going to update Secret Love anyway?

**Charli: **Aww, you liked that line? I'm glad. And the brothers, they're awesome. And really really hot. Not that that has anything to do with your review, but I thought I'd mention it lol. God, I haven't updated since before the jail episode? That seems like forever ago. Oh, and sorry about the midterms. They suck. A lot. I totally sympathize.

**Friendsfan: **Well, she didn't push her away farther exactly…

**justin: **Aw thanks. Such an enthusiastic review…Caps lock rules lol.

**elisacollette: **Peyton is cool with the majority of the characters. I'm enjoying the Peyton/Jake they're putting into the show this season.

**LucasPeyton03: **Thanks! And in case you're still confused about the cries, see the author's note above.

**geniunexchild: **Don't worry, it wasn't a serious wound. Nathan's not in danger. Yet.

**Cait: **Thanks! I got you on the twists? I had twists? lol that's awesome I'm glad you liked it.

**Marissa Atwood: **Very sad, indeed. And it's not even finished.

**Agel15: **Yeah, I felt the flashback was necessary. Explaining so much through dialogue can get confusing/not as effective. As for the yells—right on. And I'm hoping I explained it well enough in the story as to when/why they did it.

**melihoku: **Almost right on the cry thing, although keeping in mind this is a flashback, we would have already read about it and some point. And we did. I hope that's not too confusing.

**IntentionallyCruel: **Umm. I have a feeling you might be unhappy with me after this chapter. ;) Anyway…2X a month? Holy shit. Freaking machine, you are.

**utyui: **Continued, as asked. You're welcome lol.


	6. No Guarantees but the Grave

**Only in the News**

_By: caramelo_

_I do not own _One Tree Hill_ or anything related to it._

**Chapter Six: **No Guarantees but the Grave

They were drawing near to the door when faint screams and moans suddenly became considerably louder around the corner. One of the shrieks ended, and another one began, outraged and terrified. The group pressed against the wall, out of sight, and Nathan and Lucas exchanged stricken glances above Haley's head.

_Brooke_, they mouthed simultaneously.

What sounded like an explosion went off, and the scream cut off abruptly. Nathan felt sick to his stomach. There were those footsteps again, just walking away from the crime they had committed. Luckily, they were walking in another direction, towards the library.

The three were faced with two options. Turn to the left now, and forget about Brooke, or walk ahead a few feet more and make a slight detour to the right to see what had happened, possibly risking their lives for someone who might already be dead.

It seemed so awfully silent…

"No," Lucas whispered.

Nathan swallowed, hard. He gestured to the hallway to their left. "We should…"

"No," Lucas said more fiercely. He stepped forward, toward the direction where they had last heard her. "We don't know if she's…"

"Chances are, she is," Nathan pointed out.

"But we don't _know_," Lucas said desperately.

Nathan's gaze flitted down to Haley, who had remained silent through the exchange. Her expression was impassive and gave away nothing. _If it had been her_, Nathan thought, _I would have torn through Lucas even if I had seen a bullet shot right through her heart, just to make sure._

"Fine," he said, "but we have to be careful."

Lucas nodded and clapped Nathan on the shoulder gratefully. He walked ahead, his steps light and fast, anxious.

Nathan followed reluctantly with Haley latched on to his hand. She gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You did the right thing," she said.

Nathan cocked a brow. "You think?"

Haley nodded. "Yeah, I do. You know none of us would ever be able to live with ourselves if we just left Brooke behind."

"You're right," Nathan said. "I'm just…"

"Scared?" Haley filled in the blank for him. "It's okay. We all are. But it'll be okay; I know it will."

They came up on Lucas and he shushed them. The hallway was just around the corner. "Do you hear anything?" he hissed.

Nathan and Haley shook their heads. Everything was silent, besides the distant gunshots coming from the library.

Lucas scampered out, and what he saw made his blood run cold. Brooke and Peyton were there, collapsed on top of each other. Beside him, Nathan averted his eyes, and Haley gasped, horrified. The two cheerleaders were a bloody mess, leaving little doubt to the matter of whether they had survived or not.

Lucas was eerily still. His body was rigid, and his fists were clenched tightly. Nathan put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed hard, far from reassuring, but a reminder that there were people suffering with him. He swallowed as his eyes fell on Peyton and Brooke again, unable to tear his gaze away again. He wanted to say something, something to console Lucas or perhaps to remind them all that they were all still in danger standing here, but all he managed was a low, guttural sound from his throat. It took a good number of seconds to pull himself together long enough to try to direct Lucas and Haley to the back door again, their original destination.

"Come on," he muttered. "We should…" He was about to turn around, away from the horror in front of him, and try not to look back as he dragged his other friends to safety.

But then…_movement._

Just as Nathan was about to pull Lucas away, Brooke stirred on top of Peyton. Slowly, she lifted her head up. Frightened, haunted eyes met Lucas, Nathan, and Haley. "Peyton," she whispered hoarsely. "She's bleeding…under me…"

Haley choked back a cry, and Lucas and Nathan moved forward at once. The gunshots were getting closer again. There was no time. Nathan paused as his fingers slipped away from Haley's, but she pushed him along. "Brooke needs you more than I do," she said.

Nathan nodded and grabbed Brooke by the shoulders, hauling her up, and Lucas gathered Peyton in his arms. Peyton was unconscious, and Brooke seemed to be going into some type of shock. Nathan was dragging her more than she was moving on her own. It was hard, considering the shooting pain in his side that only grew in intensity as he put more stress on it, but there were bigger things going on around them at the moment. Now wasn't the time to give in.

The screams, presumably belonging to those who had escaped from the library, and guns were just behind them now. The group ran as fast as they could. They were so close to the exit now, and it was unblocked thankfully. Nathan pulled Brooke along harder, and Lucas panted as he ran with the added weight of Peyton.

One by one, the screams died down behind them as the bullets felled their classmates. A group of them were still running though and Nathan looked farther back behind them to see a kid with a hockey mask covering his face, raising the gun again, past the crowd, ready-to-fire…

Nathan froze. It was pointed straight at Haley.

He opened his mouth to yell, but the words caught in his throat. Haley turned to see what was wrong, and too late, she saw the gun pointed at her.

Then the gunman pulled the trigger.

It hit her square in the chest, right about where her heart should be. Nathan didn't even take to time to notice the bitter irony as he let go of Brooke and moved towards Haley. Her eyes were still open. He didn't notice the classmates stampeding towards him, or Lucas's yells.

Haley's eyes caught his, and Nathan was horrified to see how dulled they had become within a matter of seconds. "Haley," he whispered.

Haley struggled to speak. It was obviously was taking her a good deal of effort. When she did manage to say something, it was just a whisper, but for as much as Nathan was concentrated on her, it might as well have been a yell. "Go," she commanded weakly.

Nathan was ready to protest, but before he could, she seemed to deflate right before his very eyes. Her eyes flickered shut, and her labored breathing came to a stop. There was no doubt about it; she was dead. Nathan felt a grisly pain wash over him and knew it wasn't from the wound in his side. He knew this was what a heart breaking felt like. His heart, specifically.

A bullet went by, centimeters away from Brooke's ankle, and she shrieked, bringing Nathan back to the reality of the situation. He looked up to see the group that had separated them from the gunman was all but gone, and he was pulling on the trigger again…

Nathan felt adrenaline course through him like never before. He grabbed Brooke and tucked her safely against his chest before he launched both of them through the door. The last thing he was aware of was a sudden, shooting sting in his thigh before he hit his head on the cement outside and rolled, knocked completely unconscious.

* * *

It was like a stampede coming towards them, Brooke thought vaguely, as men in black uniforms ran past her. The conscious, stable part of her mind recognized the herd as the local police, but the thought did little to pull her out of her almost-drunken state of misery. _Too late_, she thought bitterly, _you're too late._

Too late for what, exactly?

It was hard to keep her mind in this mess, and Brooke couldn't seem to escape the dizzying confusion that had descended on her after watching her best friend get shot.

Best friend…

Peyton. Brooke twisted her head around wildly, but it did her little good as there was a something heavy draped across her, making movement difficult. She tried to push it away from her half-heartedly. She wanted to find Peyton.

Brooke grabbed blindly at the thing. Why wouldn't it budge? She had to find Peyton before…before…

Her vision was blurring. It would be impossible to find _anyone_ soon. There was an occasional, sharp burst of focus, and Brooke knew she would have to rely on that to find her friend while it lasted. But first, she had to get this thing off her. It was getting hard to breathe.

Brooke looked down and waited for her vision to right itself. When it did, she most certainly wished it hadn't.

It was a body. Dark hair, good build, and blood leaking from the side and thigh. Something inside Brooke's mind lit up with recognition, but she was unable to make the connection. And so she started screaming.

The last thing she heard was a yell, "Brooke!" from a voice that she knew she should know the owner of but didn't, and a blur of white descending on her.

* * *

When Lucas had tumbled out the door with Peyton in his arms as police rushed in the opposite direction around him, he imagined he should feel an overwhelming sense of relief. While relief was present, it wasn't a particularly powerful emotion as he was still responsible for the heavily injured, possibly even…no, he wouldn't think _that_ word, cheerleader in his arms.

"I need help!" he yelled, to no one in particular, "Please, help!"

He was staggering under Peyton's weight now from physical and emotional exhaustion and was unbelievably thankful as he saw paramedics rushing towards them, taking her from his arms. "What happened?" one of them demanded.

Lucas thought this was a rather pointless question as the answer should be fairly obvious but complied anyway. "She got shot. There, I guess," he said, gesturing to the blood fanning out around a hole in the front of her top. His voice was high-pitched and strange, panicked. "I don't know much else. I wasn't with her. But she was with…"

He looked around, his attention drawn to a sudden burst of shrill screams, noticing for the first time the crumbled heap just outside the school. "Brooke!" he yelled in worry and shock as he saw her struggling, half-covered by an immobile Nathan. The paramedics obviously had noticed too, Lucas realized, once his eyes fell onto a group of three or four running over to his friends. He wanted to go over too, to see if they were going to be okay, but one glance at Peyton, pale as death, held him back. Lucas sent one, last reluctant glance over in Nathan and Brooke's direction, dismayed to see that Brooke's struggles had ceased, and she had become as still as his brother.

All this combined with the not-entirely-believable fact that Haley hadn't made it out of the school was enough to bring Lucas to his knees.

* * *

Nathan awoke in the hospital a few hours later, dazed. His mom's concerned face hovered above him…Why did she look like she was about to cry?

Deb Scott sighed in unimaginable relief and joy when Nathan's eyes opened. "Thank God, you're awake," she said. "I'll go get a doctor." She paused in her retreat, hesitantly, before adding, "Your father was here, but they recruited him to help out back at the school." As if this was the pressing issue of the moment.

"Wait," Nathan said groggily, throwing a hand out to stop her. "What's going on?" _Why am I so tired? Where did this awful headache come from? What's wrong with my leg? Why am I here?_ He wanted to ask her all of these questions, but Nathan knew when his mom got overwhelmed, she tended to shut down. It was better to keep it down to one at a time.

Deb's eyes filled with tears as she studied her son. Wordlessly, she grabbed a remote off the bedside table and turned on the small television monitor. It could explain things better than she ever could.

Nathan's attention flickered over to the small screen near the ceiling. It was a news broadcast, with _Breaking! This just in! _written all over it. A lady with big blonde hair was speaking, but what grabbed Nathan was the picture of his high school in the background. "Wha--" he began, looking to his mother, uncomprehending. She shook her head and gestured to the television again.

He looked again. If he concentrated closer, he could see people running about, in and out of his school, frantic.

"Two of the gunmen have been apprehended," said the blonde lady, "but it is believed that the last one committed suicide before the authorities reached him. Police are working to find those still missing, both inside the school and in neighboring areas."

A flash. _Brooke was staring at him, her eyes wide and empty, a smear of red across her cheek. "She's bleeding under me." That's when Nathan noticed her white cheerleading blouse was stained with a huge blotch of red._

Nathan started. What?

"It all started during the first lunch period, when shots tore apart a relatively average scene in the cafeteria…"

Another flash. _Almost all the life had been sucked out of her. She looked up at him. It was almost as if she didn't see him. Her eyes were so glassy... "Go," she commanded._

Nathan gasped with the sudden pain as everything hit him at once. Deb glanced over sharply and turned off the television, reaching his side in less than a second. He shrugged her away, and she tried again. Nathan pushed harder. Deb backed away. Her expression was filled with confusion and hurt. Nathan didn't care.

Haley was dead.

Goddamn it. Haley was dead.

Nathan's expression screwed painfully as he tried to physically shake the thoughts away from him. No. _No. _Haley couldn't be dead. She couldn't leave him.

He honestly believed that he could've married her someday.

Hell, he loved her so much, he could've married her today.

But that dream had just been shot to hell. He could rip apart the bastard who killed her with his bare hands.

Nathan looked over at his mom, who was hovering cautiously a few feet away. She had never been good at the whole close-family thing.

"My friends," he said, almost dreading the answer. "What about the rest of my friends?"

Deb hesitated. "Well. Lucas is okay. Bruises mostly, a few cuts from falling on concrete."

_He didn't fall_, Nathan wanted to tell her. He hit the ground on purpose, to avoid getting shot. _Not that it helped much, _Nathan thought grimly as he noticed his heavily bandaged leg. He cut his mother off, mid-sentence.

"I got shot, didn't I?"

Deb nodded, looking sick. "A couple times, but the one in your thigh was the only real problem. But the doctors said it should heal really soon," she said quickly. "You'll just have to get around on crutches for the next couple of weeks. Maybe a wheelchair. And your side just needed a few stitches, that's all."

Wheelchair. The word stung. To Nathan, it meant he was crippled, if only for a short time.

"What about everybody else?"

"Who do you want to know about first?"

Nathan threw his hands in the air. "I don't know. Brooke, Peyton, Jake …anybody who means something to me, Mom."

"They think Brooke will be okay," Deb said. "It's mostly emotional damage. Apparently she ended up right in the middle of some type of…conflict."

_Shooting spree_, Nathan filled in silently. His mom wasn't giving it to him straight. But he had been there; he had seen the concentration of bodies around her.

"And Peyton and Jake both got hurt pretty badly. They're sure Jake will come out of it all right, but nobody's really sure about Peyton."

Nathan's stomach twisted as he remembered how Peyton had looked when Lucas had lifted her off the ground. He had been almost positive that she wouldn't make it. It was still hard to believe that she could pull through.

Deb broke into his thoughts. Her next words were soft, tentative. Nathan could see the pity in her eyes. "And Haley and Tim…"

"I know about Haley and Tim," he cut her off sharply.

Deb's mouth shut abruptly, and her face twisted into an expression of distress for her son. She reached out to brush his hair back, but Nathan flinched away. "I'm actually getting really tired now," he said. "I think I should get some rest."

"Nathan," Deb began, "Nathan, I…"

"Please, Mom," he said tightly. "I really want to be alone."

"I don't think that's a…"

"Mom! Please."

Deb stared at her son sadly. Nathan knew he was being callous, but he wasn't in the mood for the compassion or the pity. He didn't want that right then from the woman he barely considered a mother. Deb was a perceptive woman, and she fingered a lock of his hair one more time and brushed away a tear. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're alive, Nathan. I was so scared. I love you so much," she choked out softly before leaving the room.

Nathan resisted the urge to call her back, maybe because he really did need her or maybe just out of guilt, and clicked on the television. "It happened really fast," a girl was saying. "I didn't even have a chance to catch my breath and realize what was going on before it was over." A disgusted click of the remote and off went the television.

She was so wrong.

Nathan shut his eyes in a feeble attempt to shield himself from it all. His girlfriend and his best friend were dead. His ex-girlfriend, who he also considered a good friend, wasn't in good shape either. Another one of his friends was badly injured as well, and yet another, from the sounds of it, was mentally unhinged.

How was it that so much tragedy had befallen them? It was almost as if…

Nathan clicked on the television again, for the last time he promised himself.

"…motive has been established. The gunmen had been the victims of bullying and teasing, particularly by whom students describe as "the athletes" of the school for months, setting a specific group of victims for themselves in mind. Many of the other students, it can be inferred, were just caught in the crossfire."

It was all so untrue, Nathan thought disgustedly. The bastards had gone after every single person in the damned school. They had _patrolled_, for godsakes.

But as Nathan ran the mental list of those he had seen injured or dead, a wave of nausea hit him. Almost everyone had been a basketball player, or a cheerleader, or one of their close friends.

It was very hard not to break down. Too hard, even.

**Author's Note: **Well, there you have it. I have a feeling the angry reviews will start coming in soon, which I don't necessarily mind, although I'm hoping there will be some relieved/impartial ones mixed in. It was a tough chapter to write, one that had been finished two weeks ago actually, but I was so unhappy with it that I've spent the last 14 days since then editing and rewriting. Some of you may have read my profile and already know that there's only one more chapter after this one. For those of you who haven't, well, now you know too. Thanks to the people who have reviewed so far, and to those who have also sent me emails to prod me along. The response to this story has been awesome, and I love reading what you guys think. So leave me one!

_Reviewer responses for chapter 5:_

**xocmmox: **Wow, um, I didn't exactly follow you through your process of elimination, but I have to give you kudos for getting it right. Though I will say that Nathan was the only person meant to be the for-sure survivor guaranteed in the story. The different points of view weren't supposed to be indicatory of anyone surviving or not—just different perspectives to the story, but I see your point, I think. Maybe. Overall, though, I'm going to have to say I'm impressed lol.

**Casandra: **Long winded is good. Much more fun to read, which your review was. But yeah, I was trying to keep the focus off romantic relationships in the story (note: Brooke and Peyton have very little contact with Lucas), besides Nathan/Haley because that was the only one that had a purpose. Although I suppose there was arguably some romance between Jake and Peyton or Jake and Brooke. Whichever way you want to read it. But yeah, I'm gonna have to agree—canon couples have a way of screwing themselves over.

**Ashley: **Hope you get the email that I'm just about to send. Let me know. And Brooke and Peyton are alive, though Peyton isn't looking good. And neither is Brooke, come to think of it, but she's at much less risk of dying.

**animeperfect: **LOL Yeah, I've read/watched OTH at the same time before. Only once. I got so confused between the two. ;)

**brucasfanatic: **Wow. Without a doubt, my longest review ever. That's awesome. ;) I'm not sure whether to be flattered or worried that you put off your essay but since you don't seem to regret it…anyway hopefully you finished it on time. It's cool that you can picture parts of my story actually happening; it's a major compliment. I'm glad you like the character relationships in the story-with the exception of Naley, I tried to stick to a friendship focus. I guess, it's a point toward me that Brooke wasn't killed, although she's definitely in a fragile state, since she seemed to be the fan favorite. To be honest, I had the main character death(s) planned out from the beginning though. The turning away part was just a gradual build up of Brooke stressing out completely, and while there were hints here and there, I don't believe there was a major turning point. Like I said, it was all pretty gradual. Mouth and Tim were sad, I agree, as I really, really love them, especially Tim. Subliminal messages, huh? Ever seen the movie Josie and the Pussycats? You reminded me of that lol. And Jake's fine! Please, calm down ;). I'm glad you like the story so much. Though I have my doubts on the whole essay thing lol. Whoa. Long response for a long review. Fair trade off, I hope.

**geniunexchild: **Thanks so much! If you'll notice, this chapter came out sooner than last chapter. Which I guess isn't a major accomplishment or anything since last chapter took 2 months.

**TutorGurlTigger: **Please don't cry. Really. Her death was one of the few things I had written out from the beginning. But I did save Brooke. And yeah, I guess it was meant to be inferred that pencil guy is one of the gunmen. If you're not entirely put off the story by now, leave a review. Yell at me if you'd like.

**Agel15: **Um, he did hit one of them. Pretty bad, actually. Missed Brooke though, so she's safe. Thanks so much for the review. It was nice to read such an honest reaction to the chapter.

**Faith: **Aww, I'm not mean. Not really. I don't think so anyway lol. Does this chapter make me nicer or meaner?

**starlet-girl: **I could always use another review saying, well, anything really! Don't be shy about leaving one for this chapter lol!

**countrybutterfly: **I didn'tsay one main character death. I said _at least _one. Major difference. I agree with the whole drawing it out thing…you can only take a story like this so far, so it's coming to a fast end now. Next chapter, in fact! Thanks for the review.

**ForeverInDarkness101: **Gotcha? Don't be sad anymore-he's alive!

**TVaddict023: **Impossible to stop reading, huh? Thanks. I've always thought some parts were a little slow, but I guess everybody is hardest on themselves.

**BROOKE LOVER: **Wow, definitely one of the more adamant reviews lol. Hopefully, you don't feel as strongly about Haley, or I'm afraid I'll have a very angry reviewer to add to the list. ;)

**0621: **I'm glad you like it! The direction this story takes is its own really. Nothing is ever really planned. I just sit here and type out whatever comes to mind at the moment. Is it still going the right way?

**Mony19: **Thanks…for some reason your penname sticks out as one I've seen before. I thought you reviewed before too lol.

**Queen2821Bee: **I didn't make Brooke die! But I didn't make Peyton die either. This story, however, if you've noticed, deals very little with the romance factor. Speaking of B/L, what did you think of the finale?

**HipHopper92: **Neither for now, although Peyton's not out of danger yet.

**Leah: **Thanks so much! Fooled ya! And just about everyone else. I can't kill off Jake.

**IntentionallyCruel: **I so did _not _kill off Jake. What kind of person do you take me for? And as for Gooseles…that's insane. 15x? Wow. I'll have to check her stories out. That's amazing. And as for the last question-one more chapter after this. I figure I've stretched it out long enough.

**Shauna: **Really? Out of breath? Well, by now, you're either relieved or disappointed. Leave a review and let me know which. ;)

**Nice-one: **I don't mind criticism! I am under the firm belief that unless it's a really stupid flame like OMG tHiS storie S U C K S (which helps nobody), pointing out hard to believe stuff or grammar or anything really can only help you grow as a writer. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your review, so I'm hoping you'll leave one for this chapter. Please?

**Cait: **Oh, God, thanks. That was such an awesome review, and I'm so flattered right now. Although I'm afraid you'll have to take up the issue of my "creative mind" with my art teacher. Apparently drawing stick figures and pencils (the only things I can draw properly) makes me "unable to see outside the box."

**xxxkattxtienxxx: **Well, it came pretty close to nobody dying.

**Nate and Jake: **Hurried as fast as I could with this chapter. First review I've seen from you so I'm assuming you've just found this story, and I have to let you know: I am an awful updater. This is probably the fastest I've ever gotten a chapter out.

**l-a-c-18: **The chair through the window idea stuck out in my mind too, but I was forced to disregard it for two main reasons: 1: It would make a lot of noise and could put them in danger if not executed perfectly, and 2 (major reason, lol): I wouldn't really have much of a story if they all escaped like that in the very beginning.

**charli: **Thanks so much for reviewing! The story is coming to a quick close now, so I guess you can sit a little more comfortably lol.

**BrookenLucas12: **Nice work, it _was _Peyton. She wasn't the one to die though. Not yet, anyway. And please do update Secret Love soon!

**Princessbm: **Yeah, the cops finally make their arrival. But like I said before (in response to another review in another chapter, maybe yours) there's a lot of description for all the introspective stuff going on with the characters, which makes it seem slower for them, and for readers I suppose, while in reality the action is actually happening kind of fast. Thanks for the review!

**FriendsFan: **Um, faster than last time I think…was it fast enough? But yeah, it was a pretty big cliffhanger.

**Cutie Ray: **Wow, thanks. So many nice compliments.

**A. sawyer: **Haha, thanks I think. I guess evil is a good thing sometimes. And Will and Grace is one of the funniest shows ever! I love Karen.

**Ellie: **Miracle, you say? Was this close enough?


	7. Sorrows Enough for the Whole World's End

**Only in the News**

_By: caramelo_

_I do not own _One Tree Hill _or anything related to it._

**Chapter Seven: **Sorrows Enough for the Whole World's End

Two days later, Lucas stood in his bedroom, straightening out his tie in front of the mirror. His expression spoke of a boy who had grown into a man in a frighteningly short time, and a man that had lost everything in the process. He had seen too much too soon for his young age, and his innocence was the price.

This was the day his best friend would be buried.

He would have to make a speech that day. Her parents had requested it of him, and who was he to say no to the people who had just lost their youngest daughter? Besides, he was possibly the closest out of anyone to Haley, except for maybe Nathan, but he, of course, was in no condition to give a speech, and Haley deserved to have somebody who would really remember her for who she was speak at her funeral.

Lucas had spent hours pouring over this speech, knowing it was perhaps the most important thing he would ever have to say. Normally an above average writer, he had run into problems with this particular assignment, with his overflowing trashcan as proof to the fact. In the end, he had finally written something that, while he did not feel it did Haley's memory complete justice, it paid his respects nicely. Truth be told, _nothing _could be said to give Haley's memory justice.

He buttoned his jacket mechanically, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He was dressed smartly enough, in a black suit and dark tie, but all in all, he looked like a mess. His hair was combed down, of course, and his face was washed, desperate to look good for his best friend's funeral for a reason he wasn't exactly sure of, but something wasn't coming together. His eyes were still red-rimmed and black bags from lack of sleep hung underneath them, his cheeks were still blotchy from wiping away all the times he had cried within the past couple days, and his lips were still pressed tightly together as if this would keep the sobs inside him.

Haley had meant so much to him. He was just beginning to come to terms with the fact that she was gone.

There had been so many memories they had shared together over the years. Traipsing through the woods, playing miniature golf, birthdays, Christmases, laughter, smiles, hugs, tears, and even a kiss. Albeit, it was a short kiss and only one, one of the guidelines of the auction the basketball team had hosted a couple weeks ago, but it was still one more memory they had had.

And on this day, this perfect, sunny, miserable day, Lucas and Haley would share another memory to add to the millions they already had. But this one would be different. This would be their last memory.

A tear-streaked Karen walked in the room a few moments later to see her son's shoulders shaking violently as he tried to suppress his own tears. "Oh, Lucas," she murmured as she walked up to him and wrapped him in her arms. "My poor baby."

* * *

Brooke sat at the end of Peyton's hospital bed, staring out the window blankly, while Peyton watched her. It had been a harrowing two days for Peyton, and she was told she nearly hadn't made it through. She would have to stay in the hospital the next few days for observation, and much to her dismay, would not be released for Haley's funeral. To be fair, she had only awoken late last night, but she thought it a great injustice that she would not be able to pay her final respects to a good friend.

But the greater injustice was that she would have to say goodbye at all, when they were still so young.

But despite everything, it was still hard to cry, Peyton mused.

No doubt, she had had her fair share of hysterics earlier, when she had finally been told, but the initial reaction had faded, leaving her numb. She was trying hard not to bury herself under false smiles and facades of bravery like she had done after the death of her mom, but it was so easy to slip into the act she knew so well.

The act she had let protect her for so many years while at the same time causing her so much misery and pain. She was confronting her feelings, she told herself as tears began to stream out of her eyes. This was a _good _thing. A good thing.

It wasn't until the sobs came that Brooke snapped out her trance. She immediately moved to comfort her friend. "Peyton," she whispered. Her voice was scared, tentative. It had been that way ever since Peyton had woken, causing her to worry. "Peyton, please, don't cry."

"No," Peyton managed to say through her tears. "You don't understand, Brooke. I _need _to do this. You should too."

Brooke's smile was pained. "I've cried enough. But you go ahead."

Something had changed in Brooke, Peyton knew, as Brooke began to fade away again even while comforting her. It had started in that damned closet as Brooke pushed herself away, but something else had acted as a catalyst to put Brooke far out of reach of all of them, alone in her own world. Lucas had told her that Brooke had been in bad shape that first day after, most of the time not even aware of where she was or who she was with. She had retreated into some dark corner, leaving behind only the physical appearance of who she had been.

Peyton cried harder and pulled her best friend closer.

* * *

Brooke was numb.

She wasn't sure how it had happened, but it had. Her world had been tragically overturned a few days ago, and it had left her cold. The hours immediately following the shooting had been the worst. She had been so scared, so confused. Nothing had made sense to her, and nobody had even resembled the person they had been before.

The only thing that had clearly registered in her mind was that her best friend was dying.

They wouldn't tell her this, of course, but she knew as she curled herself into the hospital chair that Peyton was in bad shape. She wasn't waking up. Apparently, she had been shot very close to some internal organ that Brooke could no longer name.

Lucas had been there, but at the time she hadn't known. He had been just another stranger in a room that was full of them. Even after the cloud in her mind had faded, she couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the Lucas she had known. He wasn't the same person anymore. Nobody was.

In her eyes, at least. And Brooke wasn't sure she could trust even herself anymore. Strange people had come to talk to her those last couple days, psychologists hired by her parents. Psychologists were for people with problems. Bad problems.

She did have to admit, however, that she had taken it all rather badly when Haley's death had been discussed with her. Coupled with her fear that Peyton would soon die as well, Brooke had broken down completely. It had been the only emotion she had shown since the shooting, but while short-lived, it had been tremendous. She had pulled away again minutes later, trapped in her own world. Lucas had tried to sit down with her a couple times and while she would have normally pulled him in and tried to share her pain, Brooke found herself unable to escape her burden. So she blocked everything out again.

People thought she had cracked, gone completely insane with grief. It might have been true.

Peyton continued to cry on Brooke's shoulder. It was awkward and new, but despite her previous protests, Brooke didn't mind so much. Peyton had been her rock these past few hours, slowly pulling her back to reality. It was a lot to ask of someone who had been so close to dying less than a day earlier.

Then her gaze happened to catch the clock. Her stomach twisted. "Time for Haley's funeral," she whispered. Peyton lifted a tearful gaze up to her, and Brooke hurried to add, "I'll stay if you want me to."

She didn't know if she could handle a funeral, _Haley's _funeral, without her best friend beside her.

But Peyton shook her head. "I'm not making you stay here just because I can't go. You should have your chance to say goodbye to Haley."

"We can go together later," Brooke offered.

"I think you should go, Brooke. You'll regret it later if you don't."

Reluctantly, Brooke pulled herself off Peyton's bed. "I'll come straight back. I promise," Brooke said.

Peyton gave a strained smile. "I know you will. Thanks, Brooke." Brooke nodded and turned to go, but Peyton had one last request. "C-could you tell Haley I'll come say goodbye as soon as I can? I don't want her to think I skipped out on her funeral on purpose."

"She'll know," Brooke said. "But I'll do it anyway."

"Thanks."

* * *

It was a beautiful service, really. Flowers and candles and a fancy church—an ideal setting if there ever was one for a funeral. Not that Nathan took notice of any of it. His eyes were trained on the casket that held the girl he loved so much.

Loved? _Had_ loved?

Some type of minister or priest or _somebody _was saying something about being welcomed into the kingdom of heaven or something to that effect. He had heard the same words at the funeral of a distant aunt before. The guy went onto praise Haley for what she had accomplished in life, how much good she had done. It angered Nathan that a person who didn't even know the real Haley could spend so long speaking about her. His nails dug into his palms.

Just before the skin had split, the man called for speakers who had known Haley in her life, and Nathan's fist was able to unclench. Her dad walked up to the platform, his gait unsteady and slow. Nathan could tell he was dreading what he had to do.

"Haley James was my daughter, as you all know," Mr. James began, clearing his throat. "Even from the beginning, she was…she was…" he faltered and swallowed hard. "S-she…" Nathan had to look away. The man's pain was displayed for the world, and he knew Haley's father didn't deserve to have his grief observed in such a manner.

"Haley was my daughter," Mr. James said again. His voice was weak, but he seemed determined to finish what he had to say. "She was always loving and caring, forever looking out for her siblings, even if she was the youngest. She was bright, both in school and in spirit. I used to…I used to say…tell her…" His voice choked abruptly and a sudden bout of tears was covered in a handkerchief. He took a few deep breaths, but to no avail. "I'm sorry," he finally whispered, stumbling down from the stage, assisted by a couple family friends.

It was time for the next speaker. Lucas.

One glance at Lucas told Nathan he too had simply gone through the motions that morning, while an ugly grief twisted his efforts. When Lucas reached the podium, he unwrinkled a paper from his pocket and smoothed it while he cleared his throat a couple times.

He stared down hard at his paper in silence. Nathan half-mused that he might breakdown as Haley's father had. Slowly, deliberately, Lucas took the paper and folded it again before putting it back in his pocket. He cleared his throat again.

"Haley was my best friend," he said, almost uncertainly as he struggled to find his stride. "I knew her since she and I were little enough to fit in sandboxes. She was always very independent. I remember, we would go on adventures in the woods, and I would run ahead and pull aside the branches for her as she passed through. What did she say to me?" He paused for a moment, searching his mind. A small, bittersweet smile appeared. "_Don't try to be my hero, Luke. _She was never interested in getting help for herself, only in helping others, right until the…end. She was brave. She risked her life on what all appearances should have been a lost cause. It wasn't."

Nathan followed Lucas's gaze to Brooke. He remembered Haley's voice.

_"Brooke needs you more than I do."_

Nathan felt sick. Who was in the greatest need now?

"When I say Haley sacrificed everything for her friends, it isn't an exaggeration," Lucas continued. "Because she really did. She was so loyal and brave. They say you don't really know what a person's like until you've seen them so afraid they can hardly breathe. Well, from what I saw, Haley was able to hold herself up and still have strength to spare. Strength for others to use.

"I can honestly say that Haley loved and was loved in return. She left behind so many people who care about her. Parents, siblings, good friends, new friends, teachers, a boyfriend, and me. She paid a positive role in all of our lives. It's been said before, I know, but in Haley's case it couldn't be truer. There are people in this crowd who can stand without a doubt and say that she changed them for the better. I can say she changed me for the better.

"She's taught me so much over the years, about life and morals and accomplishment. I won't let her teachings be forgotten. Haley deserves for her voice to be heard, even after death. She's not as out of reach as it may seem."

Lucas bowed his head. He was finished.

Nathan sighed and leaned back. A couple of girls, conceivably Haley's sisters, walked up to the podium as Lucas descended the stairs. He wasn't interested. They would give a touching speech about their sister, of course, maybe sweet, maybe sad. It would likely even be both. But there was no point to any of it. Their words wouldn't undo the sin committed; they wouldn't change the fact that Haley was lying in a casket only a few feet behind them for the whole room to see. All the touching speeches in the world wouldn't bring her back.

It was all so _meaningless_, Nathan raged internally as he raked a hand through his hair. The James's had probably spent so much money on making this all so perfect and beautiful for their precious baby daughter, but when it came down to it, _nothing _about this was beautiful. Haley had died a tragic, undeserved death, and they were supposed to be _commemorating _it? Was that what they were doing?

If they were, Nathan wanted no part in it. He had to step outside before he exploded.

"Excuse me," he whispered as he grabbed hold of his crutches and stepped in front of an aunt Haley had adored and her children. He may not have seen the purpose of the funeral, but he knew for some it was bringing closure, and he had no desire to disrespect Haley. Therefore, he hobbled out as quickly and quietly as possible.

Once outside, Nathan took in a deep breath as if he had been submerged underwater for a very long time. The church had been so stuffy, so tight. He raked his hand through his hair roughly and leaned back against the brick wall, still panting, his crutches dropped to the ground beside him. He was close to tears now, perhaps even hysterics. But he couldn't afford that. Not now. Maybe later when the pain Haley's death caused faded, when he could be sure that he would be able to stop himself once he started. Maybe then he could allow himself to give into the grief that tore at him from the inside and wreaked havoc on his heart and mind.

Tears pooled at the corners of his tightly shut eyes, and he brought up a hand to wipe them away. A sob was gathering in his throat, and he tried to concentrate on other things to attempt to block out the all-encompassing thoughts of Haley. He watched as an ant crawled across the smooth sidewalk across him. It was red and carried a crumb in its mouth. He counted its legs and the sections on its body and how many seconds it took it to reach his foot to no avail. The tears continued to leak, and the sob lingered painfully in his throat. Nathan clenched his fists. He couldn't give in.

"It's okay, you know," a voice spoke up hesitantly, "to cry, I mean." Nathan's head shot up to see a decidedly uncomfortable girl fidgeting before him, her fingers twirling around a loose string on her black dress. Brooke shrank back under his hard stare. "At least, that's what Peyton says. She says it's a good thing to cry. I guess she should know."

Nathan's eyes bored holes into Brooke. She wasn't at all the self-confident, perky girl she had been a few days ago. He remembered how it had been when she and Lucas had visited him. After an awkward hug and a quick inquiry as to how he was doing, she had remained virtually silent throughout the whole conversation.

Not that the conversation he and Lucas had could really constitute as _talking_. It had mostly been Lucas trying to mourn Haley with him, while Nathan staunchly refused to broach the subject. It wasn't long after that the two had left his room.

Now, it was apparent Brooke had made an improvement. The good news had leaked out that Peyton had awoken last night, and Nathan suspected that that had played a major role. She seemed to have found herself, though she was obviously still trying to accustom to her own skin again.

Just when Brooke appeared to be on the verge of running away from the stoic Nathan, he replied. "I don't need to cry."

"I don't believe that."

Nathan's eyes shot up to see the real Brooke, the Brooke he remembered, shine through with a defiant stare, if only for a second. It happened so fast, however, that only moments later he doubted whether or not he had seen it. She was struggling again. "Peyton tried to shut herself off after her mom died," Brooke tried to explain. "She was miserable. She says it was a mistake."

"Peyton says this. Peyton says that. What do you say, Brooke?" Nathan barked harshly. "I haven't seen you crying."

"Doesn't mean it didn't happen," Brooke said, kicking at a rock on the ground.

"And did it help?"

Brooke tucked a lock of hair behind her ear self-consciously. She avoided his gaze. "I'm not sure."

"Exactly," Nathan said bitterly. "Peyton was wrong."

"You know that isn't true," a voice spoke up from behind. Nathan and Brooke spun around to find Lucas standing just in front of the church doors, hands shoved in his pocket. He looked ragged and weary, even more so than before, as if his speech had drained most of the energy he had left.

"Actually, I don't," Nathan seethed.

Lucas held up a hand in a sign of peace. "Nathan…"

"Oh, here we go," Nathan barked bitterly, effectively cutting Lucas off, "another wise Lucas-lecture, custom-made just for me. It'll be _so _insightful and _so _logical that I'll be forced to see the error of my ways and begin bawling immediately. Thanks, but no thanks, I'm not interested."

"I wasn't offering," Lucas said. His voice was quiet, but there was a distinct edge to it.

Nathan pretended to act shocked. "No way. Lucas is speechless. Not fucking possible."

"What the _fuck _is your problem, man?" Lucas burst out as he finally broke. "We're trying to help you."

"I don't need your help," Nathan said.

"The hell you don't," Lucas scoffed, "Why can't you realize that we're all hurting the same as you? Haley was my best friend. I know what you're going through because I'm going through it too."

"Really?" Nathan sneered. "Then what exactly is it that I'm going through?"

Lucas didn't pause. "Hell. Worse than hell, even." His voice was flat as he continued. "It's dark, and it's lonely, and it's ripping your heart out piece by piece. You want to scream and tear something apart and even kill yourself at times. You know it's crazy, and you'll never do it, but the temptation is still there, just so you can get out of it."

Nathan froze. It was fast, but it was obviously a struggle to maintain his scornful air afterwards. "I think you need a shrink, Lucas." He jerked a thumb in Brooke's direction. "I hear she's got a good one."

Brooke tried to glare but was unable to stop the hurt from flooding through her expression. Lucas was quick to jump to her defense. "That was low, Nathan."

The younger Scott brother shook his head, trying to clear his mind. It had suddenly clouded over with a haze of guilt and pain at seeing such obvious hurt in a close friend's eyes, and he sighed as the feelings only intensified the longer he stayed quiet. "I know, okay?" he said sharply. Nathan turned to Brooke. He genuinely appeared to be apologetic. "I'm sorry."

Brooke shrugged, but the nonchalant act failed to hit its mark as it was delivered stiffly, with none of the usual ease and grace she usually had. "I know," she said. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," Lucas said tightly. Two pairs of eyes shot towards him, shocked. Nathan seemed ready to rise up again and argue, but Lucas wouldn't let him have the chance. "I don't know why you're trying to push all of us away so bad when you obviously need help, but it's complete bullshit, Nathan. You're trying to make us hate you and stay away from you on purpose. It won't work."

"Oh, stop being such a saint, Lucas," Nathan said, exasperated. "There is no deeper meaning here. I just want to be alone."

"What happened to all that brother stuff, then?" Lucas demanded. "What happened to 'oh yeah, we've got each other's backs, man'? Does that just fly out the window now?"

Nathan looked away. His expression was cold and emotionless. "Maybe it does."

Lucas's shoulders slumped, defeated. "I thought we were more than that."

Nathan refused to look at Lucas. He shrugged uncaringly and kicked at a small rock near his shoe. He could tell his brother was hurting right now, but he couldn't bring himself to reach out. Right now, he needed to stay strong, stay detached. Showing any sort of emotion could be disastrous. It would inevitably lead to feeling stronger, more destructive emotions that he couldn't deal with at the moment. Maybe he'd never be able to deal with them.

A voice spoke up, immediately catching his attention. "Stop acting like you don't have a heart, Nate," Brooke said. Her eyes were hard when his rose up to meet them. "I know it's there, even if you're trying to hide it. And I know it's hurting, even if you're trying to pretend it isn't."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nathan said stubbornly. He looked surprisingly vulnerable in that instant, and Lucas saw and knew Brooke was onto something. He remained silent.

"You do," Brooke countered. She seemed to be gaining strength and confidence in herself as she continued. "You're trying to lock away your heart and pretend that none of this is having any affect on you. You're afraid to feel because you know how much it hurts. And you're afraid once you really let it start hurting, it'll never stop hurting."

"Well, will it?" Nathan demanded. His guard was still up, but it was slowly cracking open, and Brooke could see tears glittering in his eyes.

"What?" Brooke asked.

Nathan swallowed. "Stop hurting," he said. His voice was a hoarse whisper, overcome with suppressed emotion. He wiped his hands at his eyes angrily as the tears continued to pool and blur his vision.

Brooke considered him carefully as she pulled together an answer. "No, not completely," she said honestly. Her voice was soft and empathetic. "But it should fade over time. It will still hurt, just not as much. But holding back will just make it worse. You'll never give it the chance to fade away then. It'll just keep building up and hurting more."

Nathan said nothing. He seemed to be struggling with himself. Brooke took a small step towards him. She repeated her words from earlier. "It's okay to cry, Nate."

He took a deep breath and then another when the first didn't work. "And what if you're wrong? What if it doesn't stop hurting? What if I don't stop crying?" His voice was barely controlled, and his tongue felt thick and unfamiliar. It was hard to get the words out.

"You will," Brooke assured him, "when you're ready."

A tear streaked down his face, unhindered by a frustrated swipe of a hand or shirt sleeve. Then another. And another. And another. They spilled from his eyes as Nathan bowed his head. His shoulders shook uncontrollably. Brooke found herself incredibly moved and dangerously close to tears herself. She wanted to reach out to him, to help him somehow, but she was frozen in place. An arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Don't push yourself, Brooke," Lucas whispered in her ear. "One step at a time, and only when you're ready."

Brooke inclined her head towards him with a sad smile. He sounded like her psychiatrist. But he was right. Maybe she wasn't ready to give so much yet. Not when she was already so incredibly drained. It was a lot to handle. She nodded in reluctant agreement and gestured off in towards the street. "I should…"

"Go," Lucas murmured. A tired smile passed over his face. "I understand." He glanced at Nathan. "I have to…"

"Stay, I know," Brooke said. Lucas smiled at her again and gave her arm a squeeze before letting her go. Brooke watched as he stepped towards Nathan, hesitantly at first but then with more conviction. Nathan looked up, and Lucas swallowed.

"I've still got your back."

It wasn't exactly a smile, but it was close as Nathan stared at Lucas through his tears. No further words had to be said. In unison, the brothers wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace just as the church doors burst open. Brooke was heartened to see that this didn't faze them in the slightest. She turned away, feeling as if she had intruded on their private moment long enough. She had somewhere else she needed to be. Her car glinted temptingly in the church parking lot, but Brooke continued to walk past. The hospital was within walking distance.

* * *

Later that night, the gang, minus one sorely missed member, was crowded into Peyton's tiny hospital room. They were breaking every single visitation rule by being here so late and in such a large number, but nobody had harassed them yet.

"It was a beautiful service," Brooke told Peyton. "It was perfect for Haley."

Peyton smiled softly. It had been a long day, and she was on the verge of falling asleep, although she was fighting staunchly not to. "I'm glad. She deserved the best." Brooke nodded in agreement from her place on the bed sitting beside her. Peyton was delighted to see some life in her best friend's eyes, some of the spark she had had before. She didn't know how exactly it had happened, but that didn't matter right then. Just that it had happened was the important thing. She and Brooke could go into the details later, when Brooke was ready to share, which might have been sooner than they all thought. Peyton looked around at the rest of the occupants of the room, trying desperately to keep her eyes open. She didn't want to end this just yet.

Nathan and Lucas were standing beside each other against the wall. Lucas was still so the same in some ways, still dependable, still a shoulder to cry on, but in others, he was so changed. She saw the sadness in his eyes, and though muted, it was strong. He looked just as tired as she was, but she doubted he'd sleep tonight. There was something else there too, she mused, something that made him startlingly unfamiliar to her. Wisdom, maybe? True anguish? A broken heart? She didn't know. She may never have known.

Nathan was easier to read, maybe because she knew him better. She could see the raw pain in his eyes, but she could also see the strength that didn't let him give up. She was proud of him, so proud. Brooke had told her all about the giant leaps he had made earlier. That was the boy she had grown up so madly infatuated with. His strength had always been what attracted her to him. Lord knew how much he'd need it now.

Then there was Jake, pure, kind, real Jake sitting in the uncomfortable hospital chair beside the bed. He had always been so firmly grounded and so helpful to anybody that wasn't. He had helped her stand more than once before. Haley's death had hit him just as hard as the rest of them, of course, as he had grown up a close friend to both Lucas and her, but he hadn't lost his footing. He still knew what was real and what needed to be done to move past such a tragedy. Peyton hadn't expected anything less of him.

He had come to her as well when she had first awoken. Technically, he was still under hospital observation, but he had disregarded all the nurses' protests that he should stay in bed to visit her. It had been shortly after she had been told of Haley's death, and she was still in a very fragile state. Brooke had curled into herself, unable to handle such a display of emotion, and Jake had come and held Peyton together when Brooke couldn't to keep her from shattering into a million tiny pieces. He had whispered words of comfort in her ear and even cried some with her, making her feel less alone. When she was calmer, he talked with her about their own injuries and prognosis's. She had been gladdened to hear how lucky he had been. The bullet he had suffered had avoided all major organs, and he was expected to make a very fast recovery.

And finally the circle came back to her, lying on her starch, white hospital bed, tangled in the sheets with her head sinking into the pillow. Her curls were fanned out around her, and Peyton cringed to think of what mess they may have been in. But she knew nobody cared. They were just happy she was alive.

It was strange to know she had survived such a near death experience. People had asked if she had seen anything while she was unconscious, eager to know if she had caught a glimpse of heaven, no doubt. People liked to hear those sorts of things. It was something to give them hope, something to brighten whatever their current outlook was. She supposed she could have lied and made up a story about clouds and bright lights and pearly gates, but she didn't.

The truth was, she hadn't seen much of anything. It had been dark, and the occasional images that had passed behind her closed eyes were blurry and fleeting. There had been murmurs and whispers around her, strange things that didn't make much sense. She suspected she had picked up a few words from her actual surroundings at the time, as the words _tissue _and _liver _and _trauma _kept popping in her head now, along with a few other terms she couldn't pronounce. But really, the only time she actually saw something was when she _woke up_. The sorrow that had followed made her almost wish she had remained unconscious. She was alive, but she desperately wished Haley was there to share the feeling with her.

"Tim's funeral is tomorrow at one," Nathan said suddenly, breaking the silence. All eyes shot towards him. It had been one of the first full sentences he had spoken all evening. He shrank back from the attention, his knuckles whitening as he tightened his grip on the crutches. Most of the people in the room didn't actually know Tim that well, not like he had. Why should they have to suffer through another funeral? It would only bring back memories of…

A firm hand squeezed Nathan's shoulder. "I'll be there," Lucas said. He was sincere, without question. Nathan's gaze shot to his. It was encouraging.

"I will too," Jake spoke up from across the small room. "Tim was a great guy."

"Me too," Brooke said.

Everybody looked at Peyton. She nodded. "Tim was my friend too. I won't let the hospital make me miss another funeral. I'll fight them if I have to."

"There are going to be a lot of funerals the next few days," Lucas sighed. "Mouth's is tomorrow too, later that evening."

It was an unspoken agreement that they'd all be there to pay their respects to Mouth too. Peyton tried to think of how she could convince her doctors to let her stay out for so long. It was hard to come up with a persuasive argument when her mind was already hazed with sleepiness. Maybe she'd ask Lucas in the morning. He was always good at that kind of speech stuff.

"I want to…to…" Peyton struggled against the sleep that was closing her eyes even as she spoke, "I want to visit H-Haley too since I didn't get to…I mean, you guys don't have to…"

"I will," Nathan said. He looked down at the ground. "I didn't really pay my respects either."

"We _all _will," Lucas assured her.

Peyton smiled. Her eyelids were even heavier now as her head sunk further into the pillow. "Thanks," she said in a near whisper.

Jake stood, with some difficulty, from his seat. He leaned heavily against the wall, winded by even that small action, and Lucas moved quickly to help him, which he accepted without fuss. "I think it's time for the lady to get some sleep," he said quietly. His expression was fond as he studied her.

"It's late," Lucas agreed.

Peyton wanted to protest, but her tongue was sluggish and refused to cooperate. "Shhh," Brooke silenced her. "I'll stay here with you."

"You sure, Brooke?" Lucas questioned. He had spent the past few nights in a hospital chair, and he knew how uncomfortable that was.

Brooke nodded. "My car's back at the church, and anyway, I really want to be here."

"Okay," Lucas said. He understood. He bent across the bed to give her a quick hug and then kneeled beside Peyton. All the petty drama the three had been involved in before had been completely erased from their minds. "You get better soon, okay?" he said as he straightened out the sheets around her in an effort to make her feel more at home.

Peyton clutched his hand. It had been a while since anybody had tucked her in. Her brain was addled with slumber, but her words were surprisingly perceptive. "You too."

Lucas looked surprised, but he recovered quickly. He grasped her hand tighter, held it for one, two seconds, and then let go. Then he steadied Jake as he leaned down to say his goodbyes.

Nathan was the last. He struggled some with his crutches, but in true Nathan fashion, tried as hard as he could to resist the hands of assistance that came in. Peyton would have rolled her eyes if she had the energy. He was making progress, but he still had a long way to go.

He seemed at a loss for words, so Peyton took this as her chance to spread a little more wisdom. "You have nothing to regret. Don't focus on the bad stuff or the shoulda's or coulda's. Haley loved you. Remember that."

"Past experience speaking?" Nathan guessed.

Peyton's throat tightened painfully. It always did when she talked about her mom. She supposed it would talking about her friend now too. She nodded. "Yeah," she finally choked out. "I guess so."

He hugged her, something he hadn't done since they had dated, and somehow Peyton found spare energy to wrap her arms around him just as tightly. "I may not have all the answers all the time, Nate, but come to me anyway, okay? I can try to help you."

"I will," Nathan promised before pulling away. His eyes fell on Brooke. She seemed uncertain, as they had always been the two with the least interaction with each other before everything, but he hugged her as well. Peyton could barely make out his whisper. "It still hurts."

"I know," Brooke whispered back.

"Thanks," he said. She smiled, although her eyes were watering again, and they let go of each other. Peyton didn't exactly understand the exchange that had gone on in front of her, but it didn't matter. She knew her friends were healing, in whatever ways they could.

"Bye, Peyton. Get well soon," the boys called one last time as they filed out of the room. Nathan was in front, hobbling ahead in his crutches, while Lucas and Jake lagged slightly behind as Jake walked with a noticeable limp. Peyton watched them with wide eyes until the last of Jake's white shirt disappeared through the door. She turned to look at Brooke when fatigue hit her with a second wave. Still, it was important that she made certain of something first.

"You'll really stay with me?" she asked groggily. She blinked a few times as Brooke's face went out of focus.

"Until they kick me out," Brooke promised her. _And even then I'll fight them_, she thought. She may not have had the full Brooke ass-kicking persona back yet, but she knew she had enough in her for at least one good argument. Peyton had been her rock when she had been out floating god-knows-where, and now that Brooke felt anchored, no matter how tentatively, she intended to return the favor.

_One step at a time._ She would regain what she had lost.

Peyton was drifting now, in and out, between the planes of consciousness. She was so tired. Vaguely, she considered how easy it would be to fall asleep and never wake up again. It certainly felt to be within her capability. If she did, she wouldn't have to face tomorrow or the next day or the one after that even. There would be no tears to face, no funerals, and no heartbreaks. The ache she felt stinging at her constantly, day in and day out, would be gone. It would be peaceful, she mused, as clouds and bright lights and pearly gates danced behind her closed eyelids.

She turned away from the images and saw her friends. They were imperfect and full of the tears and heartbreak that she dreaded so much. One of them was even _gone_. Where her mom was, she supposed. Somewhere behind the veil of clouds and bright lights and pearly gates. She could follow them now, if she wanted.

She looked at the image of her friends again. They exuded none of the warmth and comfort of what was floating around behind her. Their experiences had left them scarred and cracked and broken. Nevertheless, it was them she reached for. This was where she belonged. Everything dissolved into black.

Peyton drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Her choice was made. Facing tomorrow would be hard, and she would need all the strength she could get.

**Author's Note: **I finished. Wow, it's so weird to actually say that. This is my first ever completed story, unless you count the LP one-shot I did a while back. This is the first completed multi-chapter story I have anyway. It's been, well, not exactly _fun _writing this considering the subject matter and everything, but I'm glad I did it. I never, ever expected it to get the reaction it did, and I'm so grateful to all of the people who reviewed. The encouragement really pushed this story along. Double thanks goes out to the people who have been on board for a while now and put up with all my _slooooow_ updates. I know it was a pain. I guess this is shameless plugging, but I do have another OTH story posted right now, She Don't Dream for Me, if any of you are interested. It's a Nathan/Brooke story that is in sore need of an update which will happen soon (I promise) now that I can focus my full attention on that. After that, I do have a few other stories in the works, but who knows? I'm open to suggestions. Email if you want. And, of course, please, please review the last chapter of Only in the News. Come on, it's your last chance. You know you want to. ;)

_Reviewer Responses for Chapter 7…_

**BrookenLucas12: **Quite possibly my favorite reviewer. It's weird, but some parts of your summary made me laugh. ;) The whole "gunman went for the screaming girl because it annoyed him"...good analysis. I've never heard the song you mentioned, but if that was a recommendation then I'll have to check it out. I know what you mean about the Brooke/Nathan. But like I've said, I'm trying my hardest to be _fair_. Even if it is hard lol. And you better update soon! I'm going to have to take a look at, and review of course, the stories that are being worked on instead of Secret Love.

**CutieRay: **Not _forever. _Just longer than I intended lol. I'm glad you like it anyway.

**AngstRiddenAnimeLover: **Eh. I toyed with the idea of Peyton, but in the end, I did say one (although there was some unfortunate confusion on my part with that), and I'll be damned if it wasn't one. Besides, she was much too important this chapter. While the shirt guy was one of the gunmen, it wasn't the reason that Brooke was spared. The best explanation that I can offer is simply, that she was missed.

**countrybutterfly: **Okay, first off, I really want to apologize. I was wrong, and even worse, I'm reading over what I wrote to you last chapter, and I'm pretty sure I came off as a bitch while responding, which was totally not my intention. I did type in _at least one _in one of the drafts of the story, but that one was not the one posted, and I should have gone back to the first chapter to double check. It was my mistake, and I'm really sorry. Your suggestions were all really good, and while I'd like to have written them out, I couldn't picture myself stretching out the story much longer than it already was. The word sequel comes to mind but…I don't know. You know what they say about sequels. Hard to pull off. While the "I'm a little teapot" idea sounded tempting as soon as I read it, I'm sorry to say it was impossible to include, no matter how hard I tried lol. Thanks for the review!

**harrylover01: **Sorry. Hoped you liked the fic otherwise.

**Dot Cubed: **Don't cry. Please. I hope you didn't. I'm glad you thought so highly of this fiction. It really does mean a lot. And I don't mind yelling. I know Haley's death sucked for a lot of people since she was their favorite character. I'm okay with hearing what people think.

**tp96: **Thanks for the review! It's nice to see that so many people, like you, managed to keep perspective while reading the story and know that it was only fiction.

**Nice-one: **Believe it or not, most of Nathan's reaction to Haley's death, particularly the line about the breaking heart you mentioned, was completely last minute. I was about to post it, and I went through to edit it one last time, and I was way unhappy with Haley's death because I thought it lacked detail, so I put a few more lines in on the spot. I wasn't sure about them, so I'm glad people seemed to like them.

**Cait: **Incredible? Way flattering, thanks so much. It was hard to keep things under wraps for so long. (_Believe _me) So I'm glad you thought it was unexpected.

**mackenzie175: **Thanks so much! It actually _did _happen fast, although for Nathan and the gang it certainly didn't seem like it. I'm glad you liked the story.

**Ashley: **Poor _everyone_, right? LOL…I'm sorry I made you cry. (When people say this, I feel so guilty). I just sent the email, so hopefully it went through.

**Mony19: **Thanks for the review. It hit one of the areas I was most unsure about, the scene between Nathan and his mom, and I'm happy for the reassurance. I hope you like this chapter as much as the last.

**l-a-c-18: **That twist would have been interesting but…I don't know. I don't think I could kill off Brooke _and _Peyton. Lots of people reading this were major Brooke fans, so that seemed to turn out pretty good. Haley's death was planned from the beginning, mostly because that was one of the first scenes I pictured—her being selfless and admitting she didn't need Nathan, and then wham! irony comes in. Thanks for leaving such a great review!

**IluvCarson17: **Thanks for the review! I'm really flattered that this was a story you checked up on regularly. It's cool, you know? I hope you're happy with Peyton and Jake making it through (I have a feeling lots of people will be). Thanks for all the nice compliments, and I'm hoping you catch the next date change, so you can review the final chapter.

**IntentionallyCruel: **Haha, morbid is okay. We all have those characters we want to strangle sometimes. While I don't have any right now in the Tree Hill section, I definitely know how you feel. I will definitely be checking Gooseles out, thanks for the recommendation. And I have to say this: 154 chapters in 2 months? OMG. I'm lucky if I get _2 _chapters out in two months. That is so freaking amazing.

**animeperfect: **Nathan was pretty messed up by her death, yeah, but I think he'll get through now…Thanks for the review!

**xocmmox: **Whatever your reasoning was, it worked. Haha. I know what you mean about the whole repeating "it's not real" thing. I get caught up like that too lol. And YES, I will be updating She Don't Dream for Me! Soon, hopefully. I'm really looking forward to working on it now that this is out of the way. ;)

**lovinleyton320: **Your review was so cool. Seriously. I'm glad you liked the story so much. I tried my best to make it as real as I could, and while I don't think _anything _can really catch that kind of drama, I'm glad it got such positive reactions. I wasn't really happy killing off any of the characters (I've said it before, but I want to emphasize how much I really hated writing Tim and Haley's deaths), but it was necessary as you've pointed out. It's true that I am a BL fan, but I'm not entirely opposed to LP either, and I really tried to keep things balanced in the story. I hope you liked the LP moments I threw in there.

**Nobody: **Thanks for the review! I hope this chapter did not disappoint.

**rubie: **Talented writer. You have no idea how flattering that is. I guess it's all subjective, really, but still it's cool that you like what I've written. Haley's dying wasn't my favorite part to write, yeah, but who actually likes to write about somebody dying anyway?

**geniunexchild: **Wow, thanks! I'm glad you thought I kept the Haley dying thing from being obvious.

**say another word: **First off, I really like your pen name. I don't know why, but it's just cool. ;) Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way…You were a read-but-not-reviewer? Aww. LOL anyway, I'm glad you came out of hiding to leave me one for this chapter. Really. And I think it's really cool that a Naley fan had such a positive reaction to the story. I was worried that I'd get lots of just YOU MADE HALEY DIE!BITCH reviews, but that really didn't happen. It's awesome that people, like you, were able to stay mature about it.

**xxxkattxtienxxx: **Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story!

**SoUnoriginal: **Thanks! I'm glad I could provide a decent distraction lol. I know, I'm _always _trying to put off working.

**TutorGirlTigger: **Aww! I didn't want you to _cry. _Gosh, way to make me feel guilty. :P Anyway, I'm really glad you liked the story. Reading your reviews (even if they made me feel like a horrible person) was nice. Thanks for taking the time to tell me what you thought.

**Faith: **Another story at this intensity level? I don't know if I can handle that haha. Anyway, like I said before, I'm totally open to suggestions. Leave a review if you've got anything in mind that you really want to read, and I'll see what I can do.

**Lady Piper1: **Oooh, I love thunderstorms. And yeah, Peyton dying had crossed my mind (very, very briefly) but I really like her character, and I realized just how important she'd be in this chapter. I hope you like how she was written in the story.

**LALA: **Thanks for the review! This soon enough? It's been what? About three weeks?

**brucasfanatic: **Always one of the longer reviewers, which pretty much makes you one of the coolest people ever. I'm glad things worked out okay with your essay. Josie and the Pussycats _is _a good movie (or at least I thought it was back then, but I was like 11 lol) so it was a good thing. I promised myself from the beginning I wouldn't put any obvious romance in here, besides the Nathan/Haley because it was absolutely necessary, but I did leave a few nice little hints for _everybody _at some point. And there are a few Brucas moments in this chapter that I can think of. Of course, there is some Leyton too, but there ya go. Oh yeah, I almost forgot (not!), you're welcome on the whole Brooke not dying thing, lol.

**HipHopper92: **Oooh I want a sundae too now. It's only, what, midnight? I could go for it.

**Emilie: **The first person to ever say my story put them in a good mood ;). Lots of people were rooting for Brooke in this story. Thanks for the great compliments, and I hope the final chapter does not disappoint.

**LilAngel413: **School is scary period without having to worry about this kind of stuff. Really, the best way to avoid it I guess is just to, like you said, be nice to people. Thanks for the review.

**dolcegrazia: **You missed the part where Haley died? Uhh…lol maybe I should go back and bold it for people or something? I can kinda see how it'd be easy to pass over it on accident.

**x0 bebixkat 0x**Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!

**Casandra: **Your review made me laugh. _At the risked of getting stoned by the Naley and Haley fans…_I don't know maybe it's just me lol. I'm glad you think so highly of the story. I was actually worried I was a little too vague sometimes, but it's nice to know somebody could picture what I was talking about.


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